


Into Thin Air

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [17]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Threesome - F/M/M, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-05-24 06:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6144948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy disappears on his morning run. Two weeks later, Felicity is taken from the Foundry. Oliver is willing to sacrifice everything to get them back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We Won't Say Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I'm changing things up a little bit. This is a multi chapter fic that is much more focused on a mystery/adventure than their domestic lives. When this fic is complete, we will return to the everyday lives of our favorite threesome. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> I'm not telling this story in chronological order. Some readers have requested that I provide a chronological order for the fics in the series. There is no need to read them in chronological order, but in case you do the list is below.  
> 1\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 2\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 3\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 4\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 5\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 6\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 7\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 8\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 9\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 10\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 11\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 12\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 13\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 14\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 15\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 16\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 17\. Three (Part 13)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who continues to support this series with their comments and kudos. Welcome to any new readers who have stumbled into this universe. The more the merrier.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

Felicity ran up the stairs of the brownstone and unlocked the door with a shaking hand and a sigh of relief. Oliver's Ducati was alongside the stairs, which meant that she hadn't missed him. Hildy brushed past Felicity's legs as soon as the door opened and trotted down the hall to the kitchen. Felicity wished she could go and hide with her dog, but she knew the fight that started in the foundry needed to be finished before Oliver made another colossally stupid, self-sacrificing decision.

She climbed the stairs to the second story, slowly, willing her heart to slow and for her mind to clear. Oliver needed to listen and he wouldn't if she launched right into her loud voice. Oliver's messenger bag was open on the bed, but there was no sign of him. Tommy, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, was leaning on the wall between the bathroom and the closet. At first glance he looked relaxed with his hands resting on his thighs and his bare feet crossed at the ankle, but with one look at his face Felicity's heart broke. His eyes were red rimmed and his jaw was clenched. His stormy blue eyes met hers and then slid towards the closet.

Felicity nearly collided with Oliver as she moved to step into the closet and he moved to step out. His hands gently grasped her shoulders and he moved around her to their bed. He was dressed in a thermal undershirt and sweater, cargo pants and rugged hiking boots. He was wearing the fancy outdoorsman watch that was her present to him on his thirtieth birthday. Oliver closed up his messenger bag and took a deep breath before facing them. He pulled on his heavy windbreaker and zipped it all the way up. He held the zipper for a moment and then pulled it halfway down. He picked up the frame that held a picture of the three of them taken on Tommy's thirtieth birthday. They'd been so happy that night, it was almost painful for Felicity to remember it. Oliver removed the picture from the frame and placed it in his inside pocket.

"You can't do this," Felicity moved to stand in front of him and put her hands up like she could hold him in place through the force of her will. "You're not thinking clearly."

"Felicity, I'm not doing this dance with you again. We already discussed this at the foundry. I can't do it again," he zipped his jacket all the way up.

Felicity pointed a finger and planted it firmly in the center of his chest, "No, you told me your terrible plan and didn't listen to a word I said. You need to give me a little more time. I'm a genius, I'll figure something out. We'll find another way, we always do."

Oliver clenched his jaw and rubbed his index finger against his thumb, "We're out of time."

Felicity pointed to Tommy and then herself, "We're your partners. We haven't weighed in on this decision."

"You don't get a vote," Oliver shouted, "not when it comes to your lives. You live. That's the only acceptable outcome. This is the only choice to make."

"Oliver," she pleaded, "you can't trade our lives for yours."

The heat faded from Oliver's face. He squeezed her shoulders gently, "I'll still be alive."

"Becoming Ra's al Ghul's heir isn't living, Oliver." Felicity fisted his jacket in her fingers, "Don't trade your life to a mad man. You can't trust him."

"A lifetime of knowing that you're both in a grave because of a choice I made won't be living. I won't survive your deaths." Oliver kissed her forehead, "I'll be okay as long as I know that the two of you are here, living in this house and sharing a life together. It's the only thing keeping me strong."

Oliver released her shoulders, but Felicity tightened her grip, "Tommy, say something," she pleaded with their boyfriend who'd remained silent and unmoving. She couldn't convince Oliver on her own. She needed Tommy to back her position. Maybe together, they could persuade Oliver to give her more time to come up with a new plan. A plan that didn't include a lifetime of indentured servitude to the League of Assassins.

Tommy pushed off the wall, "Don't forget your toothbrush," and he walked out the door.

"No," Felicity dropped to her knees still clutching Oliver's jacket, "Tommy, please, help me," she cried out to him as he descended the stairs. Everything was happening too fast. She knew she only had precious minutes left with Oliver before he was gone forever.

Oliver lowered himself to his knees and crushed Felicity to his chest, "Please don't cry. Don't make this harder on us."

"Harder?" she wanted to scream at him. She didn't know how he could think that there was anything harder than him walking out of their lives forever. She knew that all of their hearts were breaking, but Oliver's most of all. He'd fought so hard to become the man he was and he was going to sacrifice everything because of Ra's al Ghul. "I can't do this. I'm not strong enough."

He kissed her temple, "You're the strongest person I know. Tommy and Thea are going to need you."

"I can't," she threw her arms around his neck, "I can't say goodbye."

He brushed his lips softly against hers, "Then we won't say goodbye."

Felicity kissed him greedily and tried to commit every moment to memory. This kiss was meant to last her a lifetime, "I love you."

He brushed his nose against hers, "I love you."

Oliver laced his fingers through hers and stood, pulling Felicity to her feet. He slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and then they walked out of their room, together. Tommy was pacing the hallway between the kitchen and the foyer when they got downstairs. His hair was standing up in every direction and Felicity knew he'd been pulling on it in worry.

"Tommy, please," Oliver held out his hand towards his boyfriend.

Tommy hung his head, but took the offered hand, "Ollie."

Oliver pulled Tommy into his chest without letting go of Felicity. He dropped his forehead to Tommy's, "I love you."

"I love you," Tommy whispered right before he kissed Oliver.

Felicity wrapped her arms around both men and they each wrapped an arm around her. The three lowered their heads and they held each other tighter. Hildy squeezed between their legs, not wanting to be left out.

Oliver was the first to let go. He scratched Hildy on the top of the head, "Be a good girl."

He strode to the front door and hesitated when his hand landed on the knob. He turned back to look at Tommy and Felicity. He gave them a genuine smile, "Be happy." Oliver quickly opened the door and stepped out into the night.

Felicity stood with Tommy's arm around her shoulder. She was unable to move or think as she felt her world crumble around her. The sound of Oliver's Ducati roaring to life pulled her back into the moment. She moved for the door, but Tommy stopped her. She listened as Oliver's bike carried him further and further away until she could no longer hear him. She wrenched herself free from Tommy's grip and spun to face him, "Why didn't you stop him? You could've made him listen."

Tommy stepped past Felicity and opened the hall closet. He pulled on a dark windbreaker and retrieved a duffle bag from the floor of the closet. He took hold of Felicity's hand and pulled her into the kitchen. He led her to the table where there were several stacks of papers, "I don't have a lot of time, so I need you to listen to me."  He began pointing to individual stacks, "The lawyers have all of this, but I want you to know what they have. If I'm not back in thirty days Verdant's ownership will completely transfer to Thea. I'd like for you to find someone to take my place on the board of my mom's clinic, I think Caitlin is a good choice, if she's interested. All of my voting shares of QC have been transferred to you, effective immediately. I have added you and Thea to my trust fund. You both have the ability to draw money on it whenever you want. This is the key to the safety deposit box, my will, the deed to the house, my mom's jewelry  - it's all in there. You're already on file at Starling National as having access to the box, I just want you to remember that it's there."

"Tommy," she grabbed his arm, "what are you doing?"

"I'm taking the QC jet. Once I get where I'm going, I'll send it back and make my own way. Don't forget to pay for the use of the jet. The last thing you'll need is a scandal around misappropriation of company property for personal use. Someone will need to get my car from the airport," he took a deep breath. He pulled Felicity into his arms and rested his chin against the top of her head, "If I'm not back in thirty days, I'm not coming back. It will be hard, but you'll need to move on without us. Meet with the lawyers, they'll have everything you need." Tommy moved back towards the foyer.

Stunned, Felicity followed him. She felt light headed and sick as she realized she wasn't just losing one of the men she loved, but both of them. It was bad enough that Oliver had made plans behind their backs, but it appeared that Tommy had been making plans behind her back too, "Where are you going?"

He kissed her softly, "I love you and I promise that I will do everything I can to come home to you."

"I love you," she grabbed hold of his hand and tried to pull him back towards the kitchen. "Tommy, come talk to me. Tell me what's happening."

He pulled her hand to his lips before pulling free. He swung his duffle over his shoulder, "I'm going to go find my father and then I'm going to bring Ollie home."


	2. Daddy Dearest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malcolm Merlyn asks Felicity for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Thank you for your enthusiastic support of this fic. All of your kudos and comments were gratefully received. I'm still blown away by your response to the series.
> 
> So, this wouldn't be me and this wouldn't be this series if I told this fic in chronological order. We are going back in time until we catch up with chapter one. 
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

_6 months earlier_

Felicity stepped on the pedal to fill Hildy's collapsible water bowl as she drank from the human side of the fountain. They had just run the five mile loop around the promenade with Oliver and Tommy. Felicity straightened up and waited for Hildy to finish drinking. In the distance she could see Oliver and Tommy finish the first mile of their planned additional eight mile run. Tommy was running the Starling City marathon in a month and had been training hard with Oliver. The morning after his thirtieth birthday Tommy declared that he was running the marathon and had run with Oliver every day since. Felicity only joined them on Sunday mornings and five miles was her hard limit. The guys were going to add an additional three miles to the promenade loop by running over the Bay Bridge instead of the Cove  Bridge.

Once Hildy finished drinking, Felicity walked them over to a grassy area where she could do some stretching. As soon as she laid down on the ground with her arms over her head, Hildy began to lick her face and neck. Felicity half-heartedly pushed the large red dog away, "Is mommy nice and salty?  Wait until your daddies are back, they'll be delicious." Hildy dropped heavily on top of Felicity with a satisfied grunt. The blonde sat up to watch the early morning sun dance along the surface of the bay. She could still make out Oliver and Tommy as they rounded the three mile marker. She picked up her phone to check their trackers. The guys were making good time and looked to be running a seven minute mile. They had slowed their earlier pace to accommodate her nine minute mile. Oliver and Tommy could easily run a six minute mile, but Oliver was still recovering from a hamstring pull he received jumping from a roof top.

The rumbling of Felicity's stomach made Hildy lift her head from where she had it pillowed, "Time for breakfast."

Felicity and Hildy strolled over to a catering truck that was parked in the grass nearby, "Morning, Chuck."

"Ladies," a tattooed man in his twenties grinned at them. "How's the training going? Tommy was looking good from here."

Felicity smiled with pride, "He's going to kick the marathon's ass."

Chuck laughed as he  handed her a backpack, "Here's Oliver's bag. Would you ladies like breakfast?"

Felicity bit her lip as she read the menu, "Hmm, Hildy will have her usual and I'll have coffee, obviously, and the huevos rancheros."

"Make that two coffees and two huevos rancheros," a hand reached over Felicity's shoulder and placed forty dollars on the counter.

Felicity's grip on Hildy's leash tightened as she turned to face Malcolm Merlyn. He wore a ball cap low over his eyes and a Cheshire cat grin. "Thanks, Chuck. We'll be sitting at our usual spot," Felicity forced a smile.

She stepped around Malcolm and took a deep breath to calm herself. Hildy, sensing her anxiety, was eyeing Malcolm nervously. Felicity retrieved her phone from her sports bra.

"Ms. Smoak, Oliver and Tommy have just reached the half way mark. At their current pace it will take them twenty-eight minutes to get here, twenty-three if Oliver pushes it. Do you really want Oliver to take me on in public in the bright light of day? I like my chances considering he'll have just finished running thirteen miles." Malcolm smiled at her, "Before you think that Oliver will just commandeer a car, my men have been instructed to delay them until we're done."

Felicity dropped her phone onto the wooden picnic table, "What do you want, Mr. Merlyn."

"Please, we're practically family, call me Malcolm," he handed her a coffee and sat down at the table. "Felicity," he grinned, "I'm not here to harm you. I just want to join you for breakfast."

"Down," Felicity instructed Hildy. Her fur was standing on end and she was emitting a very low growl. When Hildy didn't respond, Felicity snapped the lead against her thigh, "Down." Hildy slowly lowered herself to the ground but she continued to eye Malcolm with her ears forward on alert. Felicity sat on the bench opposite Malcolm, "What do you want?"

Malcolm smiled warmly, which sent a shiver down Felicity's spine, "Is it wrong that I want to spend time with the woman my son is building his life with?"

"I won't discuss Tommy or Thea with you," Felicity wrapped her hands around her coffee cup, "so, I have absolutely nothing to say to you, but good-bye and thank you for breakfast."

Malcolm laughed, "I can see why both of them fell for you. I must say, I was surprised they decided to share, but I guess they broke the last toy they fought over and needed to replace her. I am disappointed that they've reverted back to their old childhood habits. I thought I'd knocked that inclination out of Tommy a long time ago. How long do you think it will be before they lose interest in you and your cozy little threesome ends in anger and tears?"

Felicity's jaw clenched at his casual reference to his physical abuse of Tommy and snide reference to Laurel's death, "There's only one person to blame for Laurel's death and I'm looking at him."

"Funny," Malcolm's eyes were full of mirth, "I was thinking the same thing. If you were a more talented hacker, I never would've known that Oliver was on to me and you would've known about the second device."

Her failure to adequately cover her hack of Merlyn Global still haunted her. She knew that she wasn't directly responsible for all of the lives lost during the earthquake, but it didn't stop her from feeling regret. Her retort died on her lips when Chuck brought over their eggs and Hildy's sausage.

"Everything okay?" Chuck pointedly asked Felicity, "Do you need anything else?"

Felicity tried to give Chuck a reassuring smile, "We're good, thank you."

Chuck walked away, but not before taking a look at them over his shoulder.

"You might want to get going before someone realizes you're not quite as dead as we all hoped," Felicity smiled sweetly as she fed Hildy a piece of her sausage. She took a bite of her eggs. They felt like lead as she swallowed them, but she refused to let Malcolm think he had any power over her.

Malcolm took a forkful of eggs, "These are very good. The promenade is almost unrecognizable. It's amazing to see the changes Oliver has been able to effect in his time as the Arrow.

"The people of Starling are finally standing up to take back their city," Felicity couldn't help but feel pride in the work that she Oliver and Dig had been doing. Streets that had once been unsafe to walk down even in daylight were now safe any time of day or night. Once abandoned and crime ridden parks were now clean and full of recreational activities. Starling was a city all of its citizens could take pride in.

"It would be a shame if something were to happen to undo all of the hard work you and Oliver have done." Malcolm took another bite of his food, "I was thinking an outbreak might shake things up around here."

Felicity's blood ran cold and she dropped her fork, "What do you want?"

Malcolm slid a thumb drive across the table, "I need your help with the contents of this drive. I'm not too proud to admit that the encryption is even beyond my capabilities."

Her hands clenched in her lap, "And if I don't help you?"

"Tommy has worked so hard to restore his mother's clinic. It would be a shame if the vaccines they dispense began to spread epidemics instead of preventing them." Malcolm smiled, "How do you think Starling would react to Small Pox or Ebola." Malcolm pushed the drive closer to her, "You should ask Oliver about his time in Hong Kong and the Alpha and Omega virus."

In the distance she heard her name being shouted. She looked to see Oliver and Tommy sprinting across the lawn. Oliver shouted something in Russian and Hildy was instantly on her feet with her teeth bared and growling.

"That would be my cue to leave." Malcolm rose from the table, "You have twenty-fours to decrypt that file and to tape it to the underside of this table or I will rain terror upon this city that will make the earthquake look like a happy memory." Malcolm tipped his hat, "Give my love to my children. Always a pleasure, Ms. Smoak."

A SUV pulled up and Malcolm climbed into the backseat. The vehicle pulled away just as Oliver reached the table. He said something in Russian and Hildy lay down at his feet. He gave her a piece of sausage and rubbed the top of her head before bending at the waist and resting his hands on his knees. Tommy arrived and dropped onto his back in the grass.

Felicity was immediately on her feet, "Are you guys okay?"

Tommy nodded, but pointed his finger at Oliver.

"Are you okay?" Oliver gasped.

"I'm not the one who sprinted a half mile after running a half marathon," Felicity handed each of them a bottle of water. "Shouldn't you cool down?" she looked at Tommy with concern.

"She's right," Oliver extended a hand to Tommy, "on your feet. Felicity can tell us what Malcolm wanted as we walk."

Tommy groaned, but took Oliver's hand, "You still haven't said if you're all right."

Felicity grabbed the thumb drive from the table, gave Hildy the rest of her sausage and then tossed their trash, "Other than putting me off huevos rancheros for the next six months, I'm fine." She slipped Oliver's backpack over her shoulders and fell into step with the guys as they began their cool down.

Tommy took Hildy's leash from Felicity, "What did my dad want?"

"He needs my help decrypting a thumb drive but instead of bribing me with a fancy bottle of wine," she winked at Oliver, "he's threatening to unleash a plague on Starling."

Tommy cursed under his breath. Oliver placed a hand on his shoulder, "We'll see what's on the thumb drive and make a decision once we know what he wants." He redirected his attention to Felicity, "I'm also calling Dig. You two are getting a security detail."

Felicity rolled her eyes, "A security detail just gives Malcolm more people to hurt." She took hold of Oliver's hand. "His approach today wasn't an accident. He's been watching us. He knows our routine. He knows how fast you guys can run. If Malcolm wants to hurt me, there's nothing we can do to stop him."

"Fuck," Tommy yelped and hopped on one leg, "cramp."

Oliver helped lower Tommy to the ground and began to massage his calf. Felicity retrieved a banana from Oliver's bag and handed it to Tommy, "You're still not getting enough potassium or water." She sank onto the ground next to him, "I have twenty-four hours to deliver the decrypted drive."

"Do you think you can do it?" Tommy grimaced as Oliver stretched his leg.

Felicity wrinkled her nose and plucked a blade of grass, "I have a feeling I will be."

Oliver arched a brow, "Why? Did he say something."

"No, but twenty-four hours isn't a lot of time and he knows that. Anything I can decrypt in that time, means anyone with any skill could too." She shrugged, "I won't know until I take a look."

"You think he's testing you?" Tommy laid back on the grass so Oliver could push his knee to his chest.

Felicity smirked at their position and Oliver rolled his eyes. Oliver slowly straightened Tommy's leg, "He needs you for something bigger."

She wrapped the blade of grass around her ring finger, "That's my guess."

"You'll decrypt the drive and I'll be waiting for him tomorrow," Oliver extended a hand to each of them and pulled them to their feet.

Tommy shook out his legs, "My dad won't come on his own. He knows that Felicity would tells us whatever he said. He won't be here tomorrow."

"Doesn't matter, I'll follow his goon until he leads me to Malcolm." Oliver started walking them towards their car.

Nothing about Felicity's meeting with Malcolm made sense. Tommy was right, Malcolm had to know that she'd tell them what he said. He'd know that Oliver would be waiting for him to pick up the drive. There had to be something on the drive he wanted her to find. "The meeting won't be here in the park. I'm sure the drive will have instructions for me to follow."

Oliver shook his head, "Doesn't matter. Wherever he tells you to go, he'll be getting me instead."

Tommy sped up to get in front of Oliver, "If anyone is going to meet my dad, it's going to be me."

"He's not getting within five feet of you either," Oliver took a swig from his water bottle.

"I guess I know what you two will be doing all day while I'm decrypting the drive," Felicity scratched Hildy behind her ear.

"We're not going to argue about this," Oliver said like he believed it was an actual possibility.

It was Tommy's turn to roll his eyes, "Good, I'm glad that's settled. We can agree right now to what we both know will be the solution if we fight all day. We'll both meet with him."

"Unless, that's exactly what he wants - get you both to leave me alone," Felicity thought aloud about Malcolm's next move. Both men had stopped walking and turned to look at her with alarm, "But, I'm sure he has no intention of abducting me so you both can stop looking at me like that."

Oliver laced his fingers through hers, "You'll be with Dig and Roy all day. He won't get near you."

"Or," she placed her hand on his chest, "all three of us can meet with him."

Oliver kissed the tip of her nose, "Let's just wait and see what's on the drive - then we can decide what we'll do next."

Hildy tugged on her leash as she caught a scent and Felicity was reminded of Oliver's earlier command in Russian. "Oliver?" she tugged on his hand.

"Hmmm?" Oliver hummed.

"What exactly have you trained our Hildy to do?" Her tone leaving no doubt she wasn't pleased with his training regime for their dog.

Tommy laughed, "I told you she wouldn't approve."

Oliver scooped Hildy up into his arms, "If we're going to have a ninety pound dog, she might as well be menacing when she needs to be."

Felicity ran a hand down Hildy's side, "And when exactly were you going to tell me that you were turning our dog into an assassin?"

Tommy opened the back gate of Oliver's BMW SUV, "Once he finished training her to tear someone's nuts off." Oliver glared at Tommy as he placed Hildy in the back of the vehicle.

"You'll do no such thing. There are enough soldiers in my life, you're not turning my baby into one too." She turned Oliver to face her, "Do you understand?"

He sighed, "Felicity."

"Don't Felicity me. You trained our dog to attack people," she huffed angrily.

"Technically, he's only trained her to growl," Tommy covered his smile with his hand.

Felicity smacked Tommy's belly with the back of her hand, "I wouldn't laugh if I were you. You knew what he was doing and didn't say anything."

Tommy's face grew serious, "Maybe because I agree with him. I feel better knowing that Hildy can protect you, especially after today."

Remembering Hildy's protective behavior before the guys even showed up, Felicity ran her hands over the top of Hildy's head, "Well, too bad. Hildy is perfect the way she is and I know she'd protect me if I needed her to, even without your training." She carefully closed the gate, "No more, Oliver," he ducked his head to avoid her eyes, "promise me."

"Fine, but I disagree with your decision," Oliver opened the back door and assisted her into the vehicle.

"Noted." Felicity grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a quick kiss, "Thank you."

Tommy got into the passenger seat, "I'm going to give Thea a head's up about dear old dad. I don't want him surprising her."

Felicity closed her eyes as Oliver navigated the light Sunday morning traffic. Her fingers worried over the thumb drive. Whatever Malcolm Merlyn was planning couldn't be good. Every time he popped up in their lives he wreaked havoc. Malcolm Merlyn coming to town was guaranteed to be only one thing, trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Coming up next time - Felicity must reveal a painful secret from her past to Oliver and Tommy.


	3. The Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity discovers what Malcolm is truly after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. Your comments help to feed the muse.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

_Sixteen hours later_

Felicity was staring at her laptop in disbelief. She knew Malcolm had to be playing her when he gave her the drive to decrypt, but she hadn't expected him to do this. The drive contained a file on all of them. A file that, if given to the police, could destroy all of them. Not only was all of Team Arrow exposed, but so were Tommy's payments to corrupt city officials to overlook Verdant's basement and her own hacktivist activities from MIT. Thea was the only one who didn't have anything incriminating in the file, but no one would believe that she didn't know what her brothers and boyfriend were up to. Malcolm was blackmailing her. If she didn't do exactly what he wanted, he was going to turn the evidence against them over to law enforcement.

She looked over at the guys who were sound asleep on the sofa. It would be so easy for her leave them a note of apology and slip out without their knowledge. She could give Malcolm what he wanted before they even woke up. Two things kept her from complying with Merlyn's request. The first thing was that Malcolm was not to be trusted. She had no doubt that if she gave him what he asked for, he would blackmail her for the rest of their lives. The second thing, and the most important, was that the guys would never forgive themselves or each other if something happened to her. Felicity knew that she had to tell the guys what Malcolm wanted and they'd face the consequences of whatever they decided, together.

Felicity logged into her QC computer and began to look for the files that Malcolm wanted. Shortly after they defeated Slade Wilson, Oliver and Felicity had made the decision to kill a contract they had with the Department of Defense. The project with the D.O.D. was originally launched when Robert Queen was still CEO. The project was called O.M.A.C. and it was intended to create a super soldier through the use of cybernetics and neuro interfaces. After Isabel Rochev's failed attempt to take control of QC, Oliver and Felicity decided that there were several projects that needed to be shelved or completely abandoned. O.M.A.C. had been the first project they ended because they feared what would happen if the technology was ever put to use.

As much as the O.M.A.C. technology scared her, Malcolm's second request scared her even more. He had a fragment of the x-axis bionumeric algorithm she'd developed at MIT which had cost Cooper his life when he refused to name her in exchange for reduced sentencing. Malcolm was demanding that she deliver the complete algorithm to him. She didn't know for sure what Malcolm wanted with the O.M.A.C. blueprints and her code, but she assumed that murder and world domination were on the top of the list.

Felicity grabbed her laptop and moved into their study. She removed a framed pencil sketch of MIT's campus from the wall, revealing a wall safe. She entered her ten digit code and then pressed her forehead against the retinal scanner. The safe clicked open. She retrieved a small smooth wooden box from the safe and sat down at her desk. Her fingers traced along the surface of the seamless box as she tried to decide what to do. The contents of the box had the power to change the world. In a matter of hours every government, bank, financial market and company in the world would be completely at the mercy of the person wielding the code. There would be no more governmental secrets. The world's wealth could vanish in seconds or be redistributed. Proprietary business secrets would be made available to all, destroyed completely or stolen and held by one. Identities could be erased or stolen since most people were merely a series of numbers. Without drivers licenses, passports, credit scores and social security numbers it becomes near impossible for anyone to really prove they are who they say they are. Her code had the power to destroy the world as she knew it. No one had a right to that level of power, including herself, which is why after Cooper pulled his stunt she'd destroyed all traces of the code except for what she now held in her hands. She'd come close to destroying it, so many times, but she was proud of it. It was the closest thing to perfection she'd ever created. She wondered if her sentimental attachment to strings of code would be her biggest regret. The O.M.A.C. weapons were dangerous on their own, but combined with her code, they'd be virtually unstoppable. Malcolm would be able to overthrow every government on earth or hold them all hostage.

She dropped her head onto her hands. If she didn't comply, Malcolm would destroy Oliver, Tommy and her. Oliver would spend the rest of his life in a super max prison and she and Tommy would spend a good chunk of the rest of their lives in jail too. Not to mention what would happen to Roy and Diggle. If she could figure out where Malcolm was holding all of his evidence they might have a chance. The images were clear scans of paper documents. Even if she could use her code to destroy every trace of the electronic copies, she'd also have to destroy the hard copies. She didn't know where to begin and she sure as hell didn't have enough time to hunt him down electronically.

"I take it the drive didn't contain puppy videos?" Tommy asked as he entered the study and sat in one of the armchairs across from her desk.

Oliver dropped into the second chair, "What did you find?"

Felicity lifted her head and spun her laptop to face them, "It looks like Malcolm is going with good old fashioned blackmail."

"O.M.A.C.," Oliver rubbed his hands over his face, "how does Malcolm even know about it?"

"I assume from your parents. Malcolm had QC developing a lot of the science he used for the Undertaking," Felicity said as kindly as she could.

"What's this?" Tommy turned the laptop back towards Felicity and pointed to her code.

"Ah, that," Felicity picked up the wooden box and held it out towards them in her open palms.

"I always wondered what that was," Tommy took the box from her hand. "I thought it might be a puzzle."

Tommy offered the box to Oliver who picked it up and turned it over tentatively as he inspected it.

"It's not a puzzle. It's kind of the opposite of a puzzle. It's also my secret, a big one," Felicity studied their faces as she got their full attention. Oliver handed her back the box and she began to nervously twist it in her fingers.

Oliver reached across the desk and took her hand, "You know that you can tell us anything, right?"

She pursed her lips and nodded her head as she studied their hands. "I told you that my college boyfriend, Cooper Selden, died in an accident," she looked up at them, "that was a lie."

"Cooper's not dead?" Tommy's brow was furrowed with confusion.

Felicity wiped a tear from her cheek, "No, he's dead, but he didn't die in an accident. He committed suicide."

It was clear that neither of the men expected to hear that. Tommy leaned forward and placed his hand on top of Oliver and Felicity's, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Felicity took a deep breath, "Because if I told you that Cooper killed himself, I'd have to tell you why and I'm not particularly proud of what happened."

Oliver squeezed her hand, "Tell us what happened."

"Cooper was an idealist, which kind of made him a bit of a revolutionary. He believed that technology could level the playing fields between the powerful and the rest of us. He was a hacktivist and I kind of fell into it when we started dating. Code, for me, was always a way for me to prove how smart I was. I didn't have a greater cause other than the challenge to see if I could be better than everyone else. Our group would try to break into government agencies, banks, companies and then we'd take a screenshot and post a picture of it online as proof that we'd hacked their secure networks. It was a bit of a game, but we never took anything or revealed how we got in." Felicity pointed to the string of code on her laptop, "I started to work on this code before I even met Cooper, but I saw the potential of it to further what he was trying to do."

"What does the code do, Felicity?" Oliver's voice was tinged with worry.

"It has the ability to test a network for vulnerabilities and then write code to break through the security. It never failed to work. With this code I can hack into anywhere."

"Fuck. Artificial intelligence?" Tommy asked with awe. "You created artificial intelligence."

Felicity shrugged with modesty, "Of a sort. The code adapts and learns, which is a form of artificial intelligence."

"You could've made a fortune if you sold this," Tommy said with pride. "You could've bought Ollie and me ten times over."

"Not if I didn't also want to go to jail," Felicity's voice was soft as she spoke the fear that had driven her to keep this secret. It was funny that in the time she'd come to known Oliver, going to jail was no longer something that she was afraid of. If it came down to it, it was the price she was willing to pay for her actions as Oliver's partner. "Even if I didn't end up in jail, no one should be trusted with this type of power."

"What happened to Cooper?" Oliver asked in an attempt to get her to focus.

"We used the code to hack into the Department of Education. I thought it was going to be a typical hack. Break in - take a screenshot - publish on the web. Cooper had other ideas. He began to delete student loans. I pulled the plug, but not before the FBI was able to back trace our hack. Cooper had been using his computer, so he was arrested. He told the FBI it was his code and that he'd been working alone. I begged him to tell them the truth, that it was my code, but he said that he was the one who made the choice to delete the loans and he wouldn't let me take the fall for his bad decision. He was sentenced to seventy five years in prison. The night of his sentencing, he hung himself." Tears flowed freely down her face, "He died because I didn't put the protocol in place that would've stopped the back trace and because I didn't step forward and tell the truth. The code was all mine and I let him take the fall."

 "Felicity," Tommy moved around the desk to take her into his arms, "it's not your fault. It was his choice."

Oliver remained seated, "Where's the code?"

Felicity reluctantly extracted herself from Tommy's embrace and picked up the wooden box. She squeezed the ends until a small circle of blue began to glow on one side. She pressed her thumb against the light and the top of the box slipped off. She removed a thumb drive and held it out to Oliver, "That's all Malcolm needs to take over the world."

"We can't give it to him," Tommy closed Felicity's hand around the drive. "We'll just tell him that you destroyed all copies of the code. We can destroy this drive right now."

"Tommy, "Oliver sighed heavily, "it's not the last copy of the code." He rose from his chair.

"What? Do you have another drive stored somewhere else?" Tommy sounded panicked. Anything having to do with his dad had a way of shaking him up.

Oliver placed his index finger against Felicity's forehead, "If we don't give him the drive, he'll take it directly from the source."

Tommy sat heavily on the edge of the desk. All the blood had drained from his face and he looked like he was going to be sick. "When does he want to meet?"

Felicity laced her fingers through his, "He's going to call me with a time and location."

"We need to find leverage because we can't give him your code or the O.M.A.C. plans." Oliver put the drive back into the box and returned it to the safe.

Tommy moved to stand next to Oliver and he lowered his voice,  "If we're not giving my dad what he wants, we need to get Felicity somewhere safe. Someplace my dad can't find her."

Felicity pushed herself between them, "I'm right here. I get a say in this plan and I say we let me meet with Malcolm. Maybe this is just a test for something else and he doesn't actually want what he's asked for."

"What more could he want then a computer code that can take control of every computer and plans to build an army of super soldiers?" Oliver asked with genuine curiosity.

Felicity's cell pinged and she pulled it out of her back pocket. It was a text from Malcolm telling her when and where to meet him. She handed her phone to Oliver, "Looks like we're about to find out."

Six hours later the three of them stood in Nelson Plaza during the early morning rush hour. Downtown workers were scurrying across the plaza as they got off buses and headed to their offices. The coffee kiosks were jammed and there wasn't a spot to be had on the ledge around the fountain. It seemed as if everyone was out to enjoy the sun.

Felicity was flanked by Oliver and Tommy as they scanned the crowd looking for Merlyn. "He's here," Oliver shifted them so they were facing Malcolm as he approached. 

"I have eyes on you," Dig said comfortingly in her ear. "No sign that he brought anyone with him."

"They're here," Oliver said through gritted teeth, "just keep your head on a swivel in case this starts to go pear shaped."

"Roger that," Diggle said and the comm in Felicity's ear fell silent.

"Ah, Ms. Smoak, I see that you already started off by not following directions. I believe that I instructed you to come alone." Malcolm said with a sneer.

"What is it that you actually want, dad?"  Tommy's voice was controlled.

"Quiet son, the grownups are trying to have a conversation," Malcolm said coldly.

Oliver took a protective step forward, "We want to know what you really want."

"I told Ms. Smoak what I want," Malcolm ran his hand down the front of his suit coat.

Felicity stepped in front of Oliver, "Even if we have what you asked for, we still wouldn't give it to you."

"You're a much better liar than Oliver, but I know, for a fact, that you have access to everything I want. Denying me what I ask for is not the right choice," Malcolm said angrily.

Tommy laughed, "Do you honestly think that we trust a word that comes out of your mouth? If Felicity gives you what you ask for, you'll just blackmail us for something else. Even if we did believe that you would turn over all the evidence you've collected, do you think we would allow you to take over the world just so we can stay out of prison?"

Malcolm sneered, "Tommy, you never fail to disappoint. You've become a bleeding heart idealist like these two fools. The Arrow can't save the world, but I can with what I've asked Felicity for."

Tommy moved so he was standing toe to toe with his dad, "Are you going to save the world the way you tried to save the Glades?"

Malcolm tilted his head to the side, "I guess sucking Oliver's cock has given you some of his bravery."

"Oliver, don't," Felicity cried as Oliver landed a blow across Malcolm's jaw.

Malcolm fell to his knees and Oliver hoisted him to his feet. He made like he was brushing dirt from Malcolm's coat. In his best Arrow voice he said, "Don't you ever speak to him like that again. Better yet, don't ever speak to him again." Oliver took a step back, "Here's the thing Malcolm, you're done blackmailing us. From the moment you've stepped into the plaza, we've been recording you. Unless you want everyone in the world to know that you're still alive, you're going to go away and never show your face in Starling ever again."

"I've also found all of your offshore bank accounts," Felicity handed Malcolm a piece of paper with all of his account numbers. He went pale and Felicity smiled, "I see that you recognize them. I've put a trace on each of those accounts. If you withdraw more than five percent of your money from any of your accounts more than once every three years, proof that you're still alive will automatically be sent to law enforcement around the world. If anything happens to Tommy or Oliver, I will drain your accounts and send proof of life to law enforcement. I've also written a program that prompts me to enter a code at randomly selected intervals. If I fail to enter that code when prompted, all of your money will be donated to charity and proof of life will be delivered to law enforcement."

"Go live your life dad and stay the fuck out of ours," Tommy glared at his father.

"Mark my words," Malcolm pointed his finger at each of them, "you will come to regret this decision. Maybe not today, but I will find a way to destroy you and it will be too late before you realize that I'm the architect of your destruction. Enjoy your triumph while it lasts and remember this moment when I bring the three of you to your knees that it was your choice and that I gave you a way out."

Oliver, Felicity and Tommy watched Malcolm walk away. "You get all that?" Oliver asked Dig.

"He walked right towards me as he got into his car. We've got him recorded. I'll see you later." Dig said.

"Thanks, Dig." Oliver responded.

"Please tell me that we didn't just make a huge mistake," Tommy looked to Oliver.

"Everything is going to be okay." Oliver squeezed Tommy's shoulder, "We'll be ready when he comes for us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Coming up next time - we finally catch up with this fic's summary. Tommy vanishes into thin air.


	4. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy goes on a run and disappears into thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> You have all been so patient. We have finally caught up with the main summary for this fic. 
> 
> Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. Your comments do help to keep me motivated and on top of my editing.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

_Two months later_

Jerry slipped into the conference room and discretely slid a piece of paper in front of Felicity. She looked down from the presentation Curtis was giving and her stomach leapt to her throat. The note read, _Police Line 2_.

"Excuse me, Curtis. I need to step out. I'd like you to continue running the meeting in my absence." She tried to keep her steps measured as she quickly walked to her office. Something was wrong, she could feel it in her gut but she didn't want to be seen running through the executive floor of Applied Sciences. She'd dialed Oliver before she'd even exited the conference room and sighed in relief when he picked up.

"I thought Curtis' big presentation was this morning," he said cheerfully.

She closed her office door behind her, "The police are on line two. I don't know why."

"It's probably nothing," he said in a tone she knew well enough to know that he didn't think it was nothing, "put me on speaker."

Felicity took a deep breath and put both of her calls on speaker, "This is Felicity Smoak."

"Ms. Smoak, this is patrolman Cliff Robinson. Do you have a dog named Hildy?"

The pit in Felicity's stomach grew and she collapsed into her chair, "I do."

"She was found in Promenade Park at one of the food trucks. The vendor recognized her and flagged me down."

"My boyfriend, Tommy Merlyn, went running with her in the park this morning. He should be with her," Felicity's fingers shook as she sent a text to Tommy, "he wouldn't just leave her and Hildy would never run away."

"Do you know which trail he took this morning?" the officer asked calmly.

She didn't know. The guys were still asleep when she'd left that morning for the office, "Oliver?"

"It's Wednesday. He runs the eight mile Back Cove run every Wednesday," he said tightly. Oliver and Tommy frequently fought over the predictability of Tommy' schedule. She knew that Oliver was already imagining worst case scenarios.

"We'll send some officers to take a look along that trail. Are you able to come to the park and collect your dog now?" Robinson said gruffly.

"Yes, we're on our way," Felicity started to gather her belongings, "Where should we meet you?"

"Are you familiar with Chuck's?"

Felicity couldn't help but smile. She wasn't surprised that Hildy would head straight to Chuck's when she'd gotten separated from Tommy, "Yes, I know Chuck's. We'll be there in ten minutes."

Felicity disconnected the call with the officer. Her hands shook as she reached for her tablet, "Oliver," he hasn't responded to my texts.

"His phone is going to straight to voicemail. He probably forgot his phone at home and he's wandering the park looking for Hildy," Oliver was trying to sound reassuring. "I'm already in the parking garage. I'll meet you at Chuck's. Dig is almost to you, by the time you get downstairs, he'll be out front. See if you can pick Tommy up on any of the park's cameras."

"Oliver," she did her best to blink back tears, "what if this is Malcolm? What if he took him?"

"We don't know what happened yet," Oliver said gently. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Eight minutes later, Felicity and Dig were inside the park running towards Chuck's. She could see Oliver already talking to the police. Hildy was laying at his feet with her leash wrapped tightly around his hand.

"Officer Robinson?" Felicity extended her hand and the man took it, "I'm Felicity Smoak. Thank you for calling me about Hildy."

"As I was telling Mr. Queen, Mr. Merlyn hasn't been found along the trail you said he was taking. The good news is that those trails are pretty busy and if he was hurt, a passerby would've found him pretty quickly. It's most likely that your dog got away from him and he's looking for her."

"He's not answering his phone," Felicity struggled to keep the hysteria from her voice. She'd tried to ping his phone's GPS but she was unable to get a hit. His phone had to be off and Tommy never turned his phone off. "Something's wrong. His car is still in the parking lot."

The officer smiled sympathetically at her, "Ms. Smoak, if I was out with my wife's dog and he got away from me, I wouldn't answer her calls until I found him. Your boyfriend is probably afraid to hear you yell at him for losing your baby. He'll turn up soon."

"And if he doesn't?" her question was directed to the officer but her eyes sought out Oliver and Dig.

"If he's not home in twenty-four hours, you can call to report him missing," the officer handed her his business card, "but, I'm sure he'll show up soon with his tail between his legs."

Felicity crushed the card in her hand and stepped away. She could hear Oliver thanking the officer and Dig asking some follow up questions. Blood was rushing through her ears and she felt faint. Hildy nudged her legs and she dropped to her knees. She threw her arms around Hildy and buried her face in her neck, "I wish you could talk. Where's your daddy?"

"Felicity," Oliver placed a hand on her back and knelt by her side and waited for her situation report.

She lifted her head, "The park has terrible camera placement. I was able to spot him around the two mile marker at 8:37. There isn't another camera until mile marker five. Hildy shows up on that camera without Tommy at 9:05."

That gives us a three mile stretch to start our search," Dig offered her his hand. "We'll find him."

Felicity looked around the park that she loved. If Malcolm had taken Tommy, they wouldn't find him unless Malcolm wanted them to. She prayed that Malcolm had enough filial connection left that he wouldn't hurt Tommy to punish the two people who loved him most.

Eight hours later, Oliver, Felicity, Diggle and Roy sat silently around the kitchen table in Cobble Hill. They'd searched the three mile stretch of park they believed Tommy had disappeared in, but there was no trace of him. They saw no evidence of a struggle or of any sign that Tommy had been taken against his will. Any hope that Felicity had that Tommy would just show up with an impish grin and a ridiculous story was long gone. She felt like a hole had been torn into the center of her chest and she couldn't breathe.

"Felicity," Oliver said firmly.                                                                                                                                                        

She looked around the table and realized that they must have been talking to her, "I'm sorry. What?"

"You need to run the code," Oliver tapped her tablet, "now."

Felicity stared at her tablet, but she couldn't bring herself to pick it up. She knew what Oliver wanted her to do, but fear stayed her hand. "I can't, Oliver. What if it wasn't Malcolm? What if he hurts Tommy?"

Oliver slid her tablet closer to her, "We told him what would happen if anything happened to any of us. Our threat can't be an idle one."

"No," she said defiantly, "not yet."

His hand came down heavily on the table, "We all agreed to this plan. You can't change your mind now. Execute the god damned program."

Tears flooded her eyes, "I can't. I won't." She rose from the table and ran up the stairs to their bedroom.

As soon as she stepped into their room, she regretted her choice to seek refuge there. Tommy was everywhere. It was hard to believe that when she woke that morning, he had been in bed beside her. That morning felt like another lifetime. She picked up his pillow and hugged it tightly to her chest. She inhaled deeply and allowed the smell of Tommy to wash over her. A part of her knew that Oliver was right, but she was afraid to carry out their threat. She didn't trust that Malcolm wouldn't hurt Tommy if things didn't go his way. She was waiting for her phone to ring with Malcolm's offer to exchange Tommy for her code and the O.M.A.C. plans.

A soft knock sounded on her door. "May I come in?" Diggle asked from the doorway.

Felicity nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. Tommy's pillow remained tightly clutched to her chest. "I just needed a minute."

"I get that," Dig wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "it's been a tough day."

"You came up here to tell me that Oliver is right," Felicity looked into her friend's warm brown eyes.

"I did, but you already know that he's right," Dig pulled her into his side. "Malcolm has declared war on you. He was told what the consequences would be, now you have to act."

Felicity pulled far enough away so she could look into his eyes, "If I empty his accounts and turn evidence over to the police, what's to stop him from killing Tommy or Oliver or me? He'll have nothing left to lose."                   

"If you have his money, you have something to trade. If he wants his money back, he has to give you Tommy.  You can hold back notifying law enforcement, but you've got to drain his bank accounts." Dig smiled kindly, "You play poker.  Malcolm's calling your bluff. You need to show him that you have a full house." Dig handed her her tablet.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, "If I do this, I might be signing his death warrant."

"If Malcolm had grabbed you first, what would you have wanted Oliver and Tommy to do?" Dig challenged.

Felicity ran the back of her hand across her cheeks. She took a deep breath and unlocked her tablet. Her program stood open and ready for her command. Her fingers flew across the surface of the tablet and she watched as Malcolm's accounts all emptied into an offshore account she'd established for this purpose. She looked up at Dig, "Malcolm's broke. I hope I did the right thing."

Dig kissed the top of her head, "You did."

 

The sound of dripping water roused Tommy from his sleep. His eyes opened slowly and took a moment to adjust to the dim light. He was laying on a damp stone floor in what appeared to be a stone room with iron bars on the windows and an iron gate for a door. He slowly rose to his feet and waited for the dizziness to pass before he began a closer inspection of his cell. As he walked around the room he tried to remember how he ended up in his running clothes when the last thing he remembered doing was closing out the registers behind the bar with Roy.

Tommy pressed his face against the bars of the door in an attempt to see if he was alone or if his dad had left him an audience. There was no doubt in his mind that the theatricality of him waking up in dungeon was his dad's style. "All right, dad," Tommy shouted, "what do you want? Not that I'm not loving my new room, it's very Spanish Inquisition."

The groan of a metal door opening made Tommy step back from the door with a smile. Despite his dad's earlier threats, he didn't think his father would do anything to hurt him. Malcolm had been angry, but ever since the Undertaking, his dad and Oliver had been playing a twisted game with one another. His dad took perverse joy in going against Oliver. He'd lost the last round, but Malcolm would find a new way to challenge Oliver and they'd be back at it again. The sooner he knew what his dad was up to, the sooner he'd be back with Oliver and Felicity.

The metal gate to his room swung open on squeaky hinges and a man with a neatly trimmed beard and a weathered face stepped into the room. He looked to be in his early fifties and was wearing a long black robe and very large gold ring. The man was most definitely not his father. For the first time, Tommy wondered if his kidnapping had nothing to do with his dad, "Who are you?"

The man walked around Tommy in a slow circle in a silent appraisal. He stopped in front of Tommy and looked into his eyes, "You are Thomas Merlyn, son of the oath-breaker, Al Sa-Her, and one of two consorts of the Arrow, also known as Oliver Queen. I am Ra's al Ghul, the Demon's Head. You are now my hostage."

Tommy watched dumbfounded as Ra's al Ghul left his cell with his cloak billowing behind him. He was pretty sure that the League of Assassins had to be worse than his dad, "Fuck."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> My own big red dog has not been feeling well. We've been spending time and lots of money at the vet. Hopefully, she is on the mend and seems to be enjoying her diet of boiled beef and rice. It's never easy when your pet doesn't feel well and can't tell you what's wrong.
> 
> Coming up next time - It's two weeks later and Felicity goes up in a puff of Smoak.


	5. Smoak On The Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is taken from the Foundry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> This is the final half of the tease from the main summary for this fic. 
> 
> Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. It is always nice to know that you are out there and still interested in reading this fic.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

_Two weeks later_

Felicity stared blankly at her monitors in the Foundry. She'd been running facial recognition software across the globe on Malcolm and Tommy for the past two weeks. She'd hacked into camera feeds all over the world in an attempt to find Tommy. Malcolm had not made contact and his money remained in an account under Felicity's control. Every day that went by was harder than the day before. Not knowing where he was or if he was safe was eating her up inside. Every time she closed her eyes she dreamt of Malcolm, dressed as the Dark Archer, shooting arrows into Tommy. Sometimes, the nightmare took on the shape of Slade Wilson running a sword through Tommy's chest.

Tommy's disappearance had placed a strain on her relationship with Oliver. Neither of them were sleeping well and both were too afraid to talk about what was happening because they both feared the worst and blamed themselves for his disappearance and the decision to empty Malcolm's accounts. They spent twenty-four hours a day together, but hardly spoke more than a few words to one another. When they did go home and try to sleep, it was separately. Neither could bear their bed that felt so empty without Tommy and holding one another to take comfort as they slept seemed like a betrayal. Oliver slept on the living room sofa and Felicity had taken to sleeping in the third story guest room.

Oliver's voice in her ear made her jump, "Call Lance and tell him there is a pick up on Third and Adams."

"Okay," Felicity responded as she reached for the cell that they used to communicate with Lance.

"Anything else on the scanners that requires my attention?" Oliver sounded hopeful for another distraction.

"Come home, there's nothing left for you to do. Dig went home hours ago." Felicity said sadly. She knew that Oliver was just as reticent as her to face his demons when he closed his eyes. She was worried that his lack of sleep was starting to catch up with him and he was running a greater risk of getting himself seriously hurt.

"I'm not tired," he said grumpily.

She rolled her eyes, "Even the criminals need to sleep, Oliver. Come home."

Oliver grunted something in her ear, but less than a minute later she heard the roar of his Ducati.

Hildy was curled up on her bed next to Felicity's desk. Her snores echoed through the foundry. Felicity smiled softly at her silly dog as she began to go through her end of night routine. She was just finishing setting her overnight searches when Hildy's head popped up from the bed. Her fur stood on end and a low rumble sounded from her chest. The hair on Felicity's neck stood on end, "Oliver," she said lowly, "someone's inside the foundry."

Hildy jumped from her bed and began to bark with her lips bared.

"I'm almost there," Oliver's voice was laced with fear, "hide, Felicity."

Felicity kicked off her heels and she rose from her chair. Hildy's attention was trained on the rear entrance to the foundry. Her best bet was to hide in the unfinished space behind the salmon ladder. She hadn't made it two steps when four metal canisters rolled past her. Once they stopped spinning they began to emit a sweet smelling pink smoke. Hildy went silent and collapsed to the ground. Felicity held her breath and covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to escape the radius of the gas that was billowing around her. "Oliver," she gasped as her lungs involuntarily took in air. Her lungs burned as they filled with the noxious gas. Two figures cloaked in all black stepped from the shadows and Felicity did her best to move away from them on legs that were refusing to obey her commands. She dropped to her knees and tried to warn Oliver, but her mouth wouldn't work. She was surprised that her assailants were the League. Between Sara and Nyssa, she'd assumed that they were on pretty good terms with the cult of crazy assassins - well, as good a term as you could be on with a cult of crazy assassins. She wondered what Team Arrow had done to tick off the League. She had a fleeting pleasant thought that she'd probably get to see Sara, before she got a little angry at the thought that maybe Sara knew she was getting kidnapped. They didn't have time for League shenanigans while they were trying to find Tommy and Malcolm. Her vision began to blur and she collapsed onto her side. She surrendered to the gas as she listened to Oliver calling her name and begging her to hold on.

 

Oliver's feet thundered down the metal stairs, his bow drawn and looking for a target. His heart fell as he took in the Foundry. Chairs and tables were overturned and there was a lingering sweet smell in the air. Felicity's shoes were by her desk. "Felicity," he called out desperately as he prayed that she'd been able to hide in time. He circled around her desk and dropped to his knees, "Hildy." He placed his bow on the floor, removed his glove with his teeth and felt for a pulse. His head dropped to her chest and he let out his breath when he felt her chest rise and fall beneath his hand. "I'll be right back," he promised his dog as he picked up his bow. A small circle of reflected light caught his attention and he moved towards it. When he realized what was reflecting the light any hope he'd still find her in the Foundry left him. He gingerly picked up Felicity's glasses with trembling fingers. Felicity was blind without her glasses, she'd never willingly leave them behind.  He placed her glasses next to her desk and logged into her system to bring up the camera feed of the basement and their tracker app.

A quiet noise from behind him had him spinning in his chair, ready to release a flechette. Dig stood in the alley entrance with his Glock aimed directly at Oliver. Both men stood down. "She's gone," Oliver returned his attention to Felicity's monitor.

"What the hell happened?" Dig walked the perimeter of the room until he came upon Hildy. "Jesus Christ," he tucked his Glock into the waistband of his pants and lifted Hildy into his arms. He carried her over to her bed next to Felicity's desk and gently put her down. He moved to their med cabinet and took out the materials to draw blood. He returned to Hildy and obtained a blood sample, "They were knocked out with something. It might help us track Merlyn down."

Felicity's system alerted him to the location of all of Felicity's trackers. Her phone, glasses and several pairs of shoes were in the Foundry. Her car was in Verdant's parking lot. Her remaining shoes were either at home or at Applied Sciences. None of the tracker's were on the move.

Dig looked at the monitor over Oliver's shoulder, "Where's her industrial piercing?"

Oliver turned slowly in Felicity's chair and looked up at Dig with red rimmed eyes. His voice shook as he spoke, "Out back, by the dumpsters."

"I'll go look," Dig picked up a flashlight from his workbench.

Oliver wanted to go with Dig but his leg's wouldn't move. He sat for what seemed like an eternity before Dig reappeared. Dig held out his hand, palm up. Oliver picked up her piercing and clutched it tightly in his hand.

"They must have scanned her before they transported her," Dig said as he pulled a chair next to Oliver's. Dig spun Oliver's chair back towards the monitors, "Let's see what we can get off the cameras."

Oliver and Dig watched as Felicity worked on her computers and spoke to Oliver over the comm. They saw Hildy rise from her bed and growl. Felicity kicked off her shoes in an attempt to move quietly as she moved towards a hiding place. A series of canisters rolled across the floor and began to emit smoke.

"Wait," Dig reached across Oliver and rewound the footage. He zoomed in on the canisters until he could read their sides, "A.R.G.U.S." Dig picked up his phone, "Lyla, I need you to call me back immediately. Felicity's been taken. It's looking like A.R.G.U.S.

"Waller," Oliver began to remove his Arrow uniform, "is going to regret the day she rescued me from Lian Yu."

 

The steady drip of water was what woke Felicity from her dream. The tickle of awareness that she was dreaming had her desperately trying to hold onto the last vestiges of the gift sleep had given her. As her eyes blinked open, the warmth she'd felt from sitting on her kitchen stool watching Oliver and Tommy cook dinner faded away.

She sat up and felt around for her glasses. She was sitting on a thin mattress atop some sort of stone slab. Her glasses weren't on the mattress, she must have lost them during her abduction, "Frack." Without her glasses, Felicity could only see something clearly if it was held right up to her face. The room she was in was a dark blur. Felicity tentatively stood up and gave a soft hiss when her bare feet touched the cold stone floor. With her hands out in front of her she shuffled along the wall that held her bed. She followed the contours of the room until she came to the door. A series of six iron bars ran from the floor to beyond her reach. They weren't wide enough for her to stick anything but her arm through.

Felicity opened her mouth to call out, but snapped her jaw shut. She was pretty certain she'd been taken by the League, but she couldn't figure out why they'd want to take her. Other than Sara and Nyssa, she'd had no real contact with anyone from the League. Malcolm had once been in the League and it was possible that her abductors were instructed to dress like the League to throw Oliver off the trail if they'd been spotted. The idea that she'd been taken by Malcolm gave her some comfort because that would mean that Tommy was nearby.

She summoned her courage and whispered through the bars, "Hello, is anyone there?"

The silence echoed around her. All she could hear was the sound of dripping water and her own breathing. Felicity spoke a little louder, "Hello, can anyone hear me?"

She heard a muffled voice and she thought that it might have said, hello. "Hello. Hello," she cried eagerly.

"Felicity?" Tommy's voice greeted her from the darkness.

Her head fell against the bars as tears of relief flooded her eyes. It had been too much to hope for, but he was there with her, "Tommy, you're alive."

"Felicity," he said again, his voice heavy with emotion. "Are you all right?"

"You're alive, I've never been better," she wiped away her tears.

"Are you hurt?" Tommy asked more forcefully. "Did they hurt you."

Felicity did a quick assessment of her physical condition. Her chest ached and burned with every breath. Whatever she'd been knocked out with had been potent, "I'm okay, they didn't hurt me. I have a bit of a headache and I don't have my glasses or my shoes. So other than being blind and barefoot, I'm fine."

"Your headache is from the altitude. It will pass in a few days," Tommy said sympathetically.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine, they haven't hurt me. I'm a little ripe. They haven't been giving me enough water to wash and I'm still in my running clothes. It's a good thing we aren't in the same cell," Tommy said teasingly.

Felicity smiled as she tried to picture him in her mind, "I don't care what you smell like. I'd give anything for you to wrap your arms around me. I wish I could see you."

"Stick your arm through the bars and I'll see if I can see you," Tommy instructed.

Felicity stuck her arm out as far as she could and waved, "Can you see me?"

Tommy laughed happily, "That is the most beautiful arm I've ever seen. You're right next to me."

Felicity could hear him moving and the sound of him grunting, "Tommy?"

"I think I can reach you," Tommy's voice sounded strained, "I'm on your left."

Felicity moved to the space between the last bar and the wall. She stuck her right arm through the opening, pushing her shoulder through as much as she could. She stretched her arm across the stone wall using her fingers to crawl along the wall as far as she could reach, "Tommy."

"Hold on," he said, "I need to make myself shorter."

His fingers suddenly brushed over her fingertips, "Tommy."

One of his fingers wrapped around her middle finger, "I've got you."

The feel of him made her heart pound. She'd spent the past two weeks fearing she'd never be touched by him again. She began to cry, "Don't let go, not yet."

"I'll stay here as long as you want me to," Tommy promised.

After a minute, Felicity wiped her eyes, "Where are we? What does Malcolm want?"

Tommy sighed, "We're in Nanda Parbat."

Felicity pulled her hand from Tommy's so she could press her face between the bars to hear him better, "The League? What do they want with us?"

Tommy shifted so he was speaking through the bars too, "I have no idea. Ra's al Ghul said that I'm his hostage."

"Hostage?" Felicity felt sick as she realized who Ra's thought Tommy could be used as leverage against, "He thinks your dad will turn himself over to save your life?"

"Yeah, not the best plan this guy has ever made. There is no way my dad is going to offer himself up to save me," Tommy said sadly.

The League using Tommy against Malcolm made perfect sense. She couldn't understand what they could possibly want with her, "What do you think the League wants with me?"

"I don't know. Ra's spoke to me the day I woke up. You're the first voice I've heard since then. Someone brings me food and water once a day, but they don't speak to me," Tommy sounded apologetic for not having better news.

"I wonder if Sara and Nyssa are here. Maybe we can ask the person who brings the food to give a message to one of them," Felicity was confident that Sara and Nyssa would help them once they knew that they were in Nanda Parbat.

"Felicity," Tommy's voice was soft, "how long have I been here?"

"It's been two weeks, or it was the day they took me. I don't know when that was," Felicity hoped she hadn't been unconscious longer than the trip from Starling to Nanda Parbat."

"Hildy? Is she okay?" Tommy asked worriedly.

Felicity smiled, "She went to Chuck's looking for sausage. He called the police," Felicity decided to skip over the fact that Hildy had also been  gassed when the League came for her. She hoped their dog was okay.

"That's good," Tommy said with relief, "I've been worried about her, about all of you."

Felicity couldn't help but laugh, "You've been worried? Oliver and I have been going out of our minds. You disappeared into thin air." Felicity gasped, "Oh, Oliver. He heard them take me over the comms. He's going to be a wreck. I hope Dig is able to keep him from going completely off the rails."

 

Oliver strode into Waller's office at A.R.G.U.S. and aimed a gun at her head, "Where is Felicity Smoak?"

Amanda waved off her security team who were all pointing guns at Oliver, "I really should have your security clearance removed if you're going to behave like a petulant child instead of an agent."

"I'm not an A.R.G.U.S. agent," Oliver spat out.

"Oh, Mr. Queen. Make no mistake, you are one of my agents," she brought up his file on the monitor behind her, "I just permit you a very long leash."

Oliver lowered his gun, "There was a break-in at the Foundry tonight. Felicity was taken." He slid a tablet across her desk so she could watch the footage from the basement, "Those are A.R.G.U.S. gas canisters."

"So they are," Waller pushed the tablet back towards him, "but that doesn't mean we have your Ms. Smoak.  A.R.G.U.S. equipment and supplies are very popular on the black market. Any number of organizations could get their hands on these canisters."

"Malcolm Merlyn?" Oliver picked up the tablet.

"If he were so inclined to purchase on the black market, he could obtain these canisters." Amanda folded her arms across her chest, "Your lovers seem to be disappearing on you, Oliver. Care to tell me what you've done? Do you think Merlyn has taken them?"

Oliver leaned on her desk, "Do you know where he is?"

"Merlyn excels at disappearing." Amanda leaned forward, "Why is he after Tommy and Felicity? What did you do?"

Oliver didn't want to give Amanda too much information, but if she could help him track Merlyn, he'd be willing to be more forthcoming, "He tried to blackmail us. We turned the tables on him. He's not a very good loser."

Amanda smiled, "Oliver, you are so easy to blackmail. What was he threatening to expose? Was he going to reveal that you're the Arrow or was he going to provide a tell-all to the tabloids about your polyamorous relationship?"

"It doesn't matter. We told him that if something happened to any of us that we'd empty his bank accounts." Oliver ran his hands over his face, "Tonight I'm going to release evidence that he is alive."

Amanda shook her head, "You're not thinking clearly, Oliver. Think. Malcolm didn't just take them to punish you. They have value. He could trade Tommy to any number of organizations you've had dealings with. You have a lot of blood on your hands and there are a lot of angry families that would be willing to pay a lot of money to take their frustrations out on your gay lover. Ms. Smoak is worth more alive than dead. She and her brain are a commodity that would fetch a lot of money on the black market. Her skill set is unique and there are lots of criminal organizations and a few governments that would pay top dollar to acquire her."

Oliver pushed air through his lips. He hated it, but Amanda was right. Malcolm could make a lot of money or call in a lot of favors by selling Tommy and Felicity. He was going to need help if he was going to find them, "Amanda."

Amanda held up her hand, "I will direct all of my resources to be on the lookout for any types of trades that could be Tommy Merlyn or Felicity Smoak. The last thing our government needs is for Ms. Smoak to be sold to the Russians or the Iranians - it would be a National Security crisis. That woman has hacked her way into every American security agency, including this one. We can't let her fall into the wrong hands."

Oliver swallowed heavily, "Amanda, if you do find her, you have to give me the chance to get her out alive. I know you, you'll send a drone to take her out to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. Promise me that you'll let me go in after her first."

"Oliver, when it comes to National Security, your love life is of little concern." Amanda turned her attention back to her monitor.

"You owe me, Amanda. Promise me," Oliver slammed his fist on her desk.

"If we find her, you'll have twenty-four hours to extract her before we take action. I'll be in touch." Amanda dismissed him with a flick of her wrist.

 

"Tell me a story," Felicity said from her perch on the thin mattress she'd placed on the floor beside her cell door. Her very first night in the cell, she'd pulled her mattress across the stone floor. She needed to be as close as she could to Tommy. She needed the reassurance of his voice. Tommy moved his mattress against his door too.  

Felicity had lost track of the days since she'd arrived in Nanda Parbat. The cell was always the same level of blurry low light. She never knew if it was day or night. Their food didn't seem to come on a schedule, so it was impossible to tell where one day started and another ended. If she had to guess, she'd say it was no longer a matter of weeks, but months.

"You know all of my stories," Tommy said good naturedly, "I'm sure you're sick of them by now."

Felicity snorted and covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to muffle the sound of her cough. She tucked her legs inside Tommy's hooded sweatshirt, "I highly doubt that. I'm sure you only share your tamest or most censored stories with me."

Tommy laughed, "That's because you love me and I want to keep it that way. If you hear all my stories I'm afraid you'll realize what a jackass I was and rethink our whole relationship."

Felicity doubted that there was anything he could tell her about his past that would make her rethink her feelings about him, "Please."

"What kind of story? Sex? Drugs? Rock and Roll?" Tommy offered cheerfully.

Felicity chewed on her lip as she tried to decide what type of story she wanted to hear. She wanted something that would make them both laugh. "Tell me a story about Oliver. One that would make him blush to hear and us laugh." She missed Oliver and she knew Tommy did too. Talking about him might make them miss him a little less.

Tommy was silent for several minutes and when he finally spoke, Felicity knew why. His voice broke, "I don't know which story to tell."

"You can tell me all of them," Felicity stretched her arm through the  bar towards him, "I'm not going anywhere." Tommy's fingers rubbed against hers, "Tell me about the time you first realized you were in love with Oliver."

Tommy grunted softly, "I don't think there was any one particular moment when I realized I was in love with him. I was in love with him for half my life before I realized that I was actually in love with him. Ollie was always there except for when he wasn't."

Felicity hummed, "Hmm."

"What?" Tommy asked, "Was that not interesting enough?"

"No," Felicity pulled her arm back inside the cell and folded her hands against her chest as she lay down on her mattress, "I just thought that there would have been a moment where you were like, 'Oh frack, I'm in love with Oliver Queen.'"

Tommy laughed, "I'm guessing you have an, 'oh frack,' moment with Ollie. I bet it was the moment he walked into your office with that laptop."

Felicity smiled as she remembered the first time she met Oliver, "Oh, I wanted to have sex with him from the moment I met him, but that's not when I knew I was in love with him."

"When did you know?" Tommy asked with genuine curiosity.

"It happened when I confronted Moira about Thea. I was standing in her living room trying to convince her to do the right thing and tell Oliver the truth. It was all I could do not to shake in front of her, but she could see right through me. She told me that she saw the way I looked at Oliver and that if I told him the truth he would grow to hate me. Moira looked at me like she'd just vanquished her enemy and I just walked past her in a daze. I realized that the reason I confronted Moira was more complicated than believing it would be better for her to be truthful, for once. I wanted her to tell Oliver because I was in love with him and I didn't want to be the one to hurt him. I drove the entire way home saying, oh frack."

"Do you have an, 'Oh frack, I'm in love with Tommy Merlyn,' moment?"

Felicity rolled over onto her stomach, "Of course I do."

"And?" Tommy asked eagerly.

"It was the Saturday I came over to your place for help with the Whitmore proposal for the board. It rained buckets the whole day. When we finished the proposal it was about four and you told me to stay until the rain let up. We were watching Woman of the Year when the power went out. There wasn't any wifi and I complained about the inhumanity of it all as you lit candles. You strode over to me and said, 'Dance with me, Smoak.' You pulled me to my feet and spun me around the living room as you sang,"

"They can't take that away from me," Tommy sang softly.

"You kept singing and we kept dancing. I remember feeling so light and care free. You suddenly pulled me tight and looked into my eyes and I never wanted you to look away. I wanted to be in that moment forever and I thought, 'Oh frack, I'm in love with Tommy Merlyn.' I thought you were going to kiss me, but then you,"

"I dipped you," his voice was husky, "because I wanted to kiss you and because that was my, 'Oh frack, I'm in love with Felicity Smoak,' moment."

Felicity reached out of her cell and was not surprised to find Tommy's fingers waiting for her. He rubbed her fingertips, "I really want to kiss you right now."

"Me too," he sighed. His fingers suddenly went still, "Wait, that night happened before we knew about Thea. You knew you were in love with me before -"

"I knew that I was in love with Oliver, yes." This was something none of them had ever discussed before. She'd never asked either of them when they knew they loved her. It wasn't that she hadn't wondered, but she'd always worried that someone's feelings could be hurt and it wasn't worth satisfying her curiosity. Her heart was full of love for both men and it didn't really matter who she realized she was in love with first because they were all in love with one another now and she hadn't been forced to make an impossible choice.

Felicity realized Tommy had gone quiet, "Tommy, are you okay?"

His fingers began to stroke her fingertips again, "I wish I'd kissed you that night. I may never get to kiss you again and I wasted so much time not kissing you when you were feeling the same way as me. Why didn't you tell me? Was it because of Ollie?"

"No, it wasn't because of Oliver," she stopped herself because she wasn't being entirely truthful, "I mean I knew that if we kissed it would make things so much more complicated for Oliver and me and Oliver and you, but mostly, I didn't kiss you until that night in Verdant because of Laurel."

"Laurel?" Tommy asked with surprise.

"You were still grieving her and I didn't think it was the right time for us to start something," Felicity sighed, "and I was super confused about Oliver."

"Confusion about Ollie is something I'm familiar with," Tommy linked his index finger with her middle finger. "Try and get some sleep."

 

A soft groan woke Tommy from his fitful sleep. The temperatures inside their cells had plummeted. He could see his breath in the low light and wrapped his mattress around him tighter. He was still dressed in the t-shirt and running pants he'd been abducted in, neither of which gave him any protection from the cold. Felicity was wearing a short sleeved dress that had numerous cut outs. He'd given her his sweatshirt and his socks for her bare feet, but he knew she had to be freezing.

Tommy had developed sores and blisters on his hands and feet that Felicity believed were chilblains - caused by cold and damp conditions. He tried to make light of the fact that he'd developed an illness straight out of a Dickens' novel, but he was more worried that Felicity had contracted her own tragic heroine illness, consumption. He didn't know if it were possible to contract tuberculosis in what amounted to solitary confinement, but she sounded terrible. Her lingering cough had turned into a hacking cough several days before and it seemed to be getting worse, not better. Another soft moan sounded from her cell and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. She sounded like she was in pain, "Felicity, are you okay?"

When she didn't respond, he sat up and put his mouth between the bars, "Felicity."

"Tommy," Felicity responded through chattering teeth before she began to cough violently.

"Are you okay?" Tommy asked over her wet cough.

"I think I have a fever," she said weakly as she labored for breath, "I'm sweating, but I'm freezing."

"Damn it," Tommy muttered under his breath. This game had gone on long enough. If they were going to kill them, he wished they'd get it over with quickly. Killing them slowly through starvation and by exposure was inhumane. He pulled himself to his feet and began to shout, "Hello, is anyone there? We need help. Please, is someone there?"

He shouted for hours, until his voice went hoarse and there was a hint of dawn breaking through the tiny sliver of window in his cell. "Felicity," he rasped, "talk to me." She'd been responding to him throughout the night, but her cell had gone silent except for her wheezing for breath. "Felicity," he shouted as best he could.

"Tommy," she wheezed, "I love you. Do whatever it takes to get home. Tell Oliver that I love him and that I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough. Tell my mom that I love her and that I'm grateful for everything she did for me."

"No," Tommy said firmly, "you're not dying. Stop talking like you are."

Felicity coughed for two minutes before she was finally able to catch a gasping breath, "You and Oliver have made me happier than any one person has the right to feel. I love you both so much. I want the both of you to be happy when you get home. Forgive me."

"Felicity, I love you, but I will never forgive you if you leave me," Tommy said through tears. "Do you hear me?"

Her only response was a hacking cough.

The faint strain of sunlight had moved halfway across his ceiling when the gate at the far end of their cell block opened. "Please, you have to help her. She's sick," Tommy begged the veiled assassins.

The taller of the two assassins opened his cell door and Tommy stepped back to the center of the cell. The assassin placed a tray with a beaker of water, a hunk of bread and some type of gruel onto the floor, retrieved the previous day's tray and shut the cell door. Tommy immediately approached the door and wrapped his hands around the bars, "Please, she's very ill. Please, help her."

The second assassin spoke something in a language he didn't understand. The taller assassin knelt and stuck his hand into Felicity's cell. He spoke to the assassin holding Felicity's tray as he straightened up. Neither assassin looked at him as they walked by him.

"No, wait. Where are you going?" he rattled the bars, "Don't leave, she needs help." The sound of the far gate closing behind the assassins filled him with panic. He was completely helpless. The woman he loved was only feet from him, probably dying and he could do nothing but scream in vain at their captors. He sank to the floor of his cell and offered Felicity the only comfort he could, he sang the lullaby his  mother sang to him when he was sick.

Twenty minutes later, six assassins entered the cell block. They flanked an older woman dressed in green silk robes. "Please," Tommy begged the woman, "help her."

The woman knelt outside Felicity's cell. She spoke to the assassins and stepped away. One of the assassins opened Felicity's cell door and lifted her into his arms. Tommy gasped as Felicity was carried past his cell. It was the first time he'd seen more than her arm in what felt like months. She was paler than he'd ever seen her. She seemed to glow in the low light. Her dark roots had grown out and her hair was a wild mane. She looked impossibly tiny in the large assassins arms. He knew that he'd lost weight in captivity but the weight loss was dramatic on Felicity. Her breath was coming in short rapid pants. He hoped they hadn't waited too long to help her.

The woman walked past him and his arm shot out and grabbed the sleeve of her robe. She stopped and looked at him with eyes as black as ink. "Thank you," Tommy said, "thank you for helping her."

The woman bowed her head and walked away. Tommy pressed his face against the bars and watched Felicity disappear. He prayed it wasn't the last time he saw her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Coming Up Next Time - Oliver and Tommy grow increasingly desperate.


	6. Hope Is A Cruel Mistress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver struggles with Felicity and Tommy's absence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I'm overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter. The angst isn't over yet. Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. Your responses were fun to read and gave me the energy to finish editing the latest chapter after a long week.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Oliver woke with Felicity's name on his lips and his heart in his throat. It took him a moment to remember where he was, since he wasn't in his own bed. It had been seventy-eight days since he'd last slept in his own bed and almost sixty since he'd last stepped foot in their bedroom. He blinked his eyes open to find his favorite red head nestled against his chest and looking at him with warm brown eyes. He stroked her back as he willed his heart to slow and she let out a contented sigh. He became aware of someone else watching him and he tilted his head to find Thea curled up in an armchair, "Hey, Speedy."

She smiled at him, "I didn't know you were spending the night."

"Roy said it was okay," Oliver said guiltily.

"Ollie," she placed her feet on the floor and her elbows on her knees, "you don't need permission to be here."

"I wanted to see Hildy," Oliver scratched the top of his dog's head when she raised her eyebrows at her name, "and I couldn't face going home."

"You do know that I have a guest room with a perfectly good bed," Thea teased gently.

He shrugged, "I don't like waking up in a bed. For a moment, right before I'm awake, I think they're right next to me. It's like a knife to my gut when I remember that they aren't there."

Thea nodded in understanding, "Every time I walk into Tommy's office at Verdant, I expect him to be sitting there. I'm usually all the way into his office and half way through a sentence before I remember that he isn't here."

Oliver sat up crossed leg and pulled Hildy halfway onto his lap. He chided himself for being so wrapped up in his own grief and fear that he forgot that his sister was worried about her brother, "I know that you're keeping all of Tommy's obligations at Verdant and the clinic and I know he'll be grateful and proud of you when he comes home." 

Oliver rubbed Hildy's ears between his fingers. They felt like velvet and he found it calming, "I love Tommy and I miss him - God, this is going to sound terrible - but Felicity, I feel empty without her." He knew from the blank look on Thea's face that she didn't understand, "I can usually avoid reminders of Tommy. Felicity is always up and out of the house before either of us, so mornings are for Tommy and me. We talk about what happened the day before, what we have planned for the day, go for a run if we don't have an early meeting - eat breakfast - watch sports center- maybe some other stuff," Oliver winked at Thea and she laughed. "If I don't go home - If I don't cook - If I don't pay attention to sports - If I don't run by the bay - If I don't sleep in our bed - I don't feel like I just missed him - Like, if I woke up five minutes earlier he would have been next to me smiling - waiting for his good morning kiss." Oliver huffed out a puff of air and hoped Thea understood. "My time after the Gambit taught me that to survive, sometimes you have to compartmentalize. I've kind of locked Tommy in a box inside of my head so I can focus on finding him instead of missing him all the time."

Thea moved to sit next to Oliver on the sofa and took his hand, "So avoidance is your coping strategy for Tommy, but it's not working for Felicity."

Oliver laced his fingers through Thea's, "Felicity, she is my life. There isn't any part of my day or night that she isn't integral to. She is literally the voice in my ear guiding me and without her," Oliver swallowed heavily, "I'm lost."

"Oh, Ollie," Thea rested her head against her brother's shoulder.

"I've probably sent her a thousand texts since she's been gone," Oliver pulled out his phone, unlocked it and handed it to Thea. "The first thing I do every morning is I send her a text telling her to have a good day, or good luck with a meeting. I text her when I'm bored in a meeting or if an investor is calling and I can't remember if we've donated to his favorite charity. I text her because I was walking to lunch and saw a flash of pink and thought of her or I saw a poster of a kangaroo and it made me laugh. I don't even realize that I'm sending them." Oliver pulled out his Arrow phone, "I've been sending her texts, asking her to help me find her. I keep hoping that somehow she'll answer me or that by just writing to her, the answer will occur to me. I keep showing up at QC and at the Foundry even though both places are a constant reminder of her because I don't know what else to do and because I don't want her to come home to a mess that she's going to have to clean up. She's worked so hard to help me bring QC back, I don't want to disappoint her."

Thea flipped through Oliver's texts to Felicity, "I don't think it's possible for you to disappoint her. She's going to come home and read these and she's going to know how much you love her and how hard you tried to find her - and you will find her, both of them. "

"I don't know where they are. I don't know where Malcolm has them or what he's doing to them." Oliver could feel his eyes filling, "I'm failing them, Thea. I don't know what to do."

"What would Felicity tell you to do?" Thea bumped his shoulder.

Oliver smiled, "She'd tell me not to give up and to keep fighting because she believes in me. She'd probably yell at me for messing up her system and sitting in her chair."

"So, that's what you do," Thea smiled at him, "you're going to keep going and to believe in yourself."

Oliver nodded, "I'm trying, it's just that every day it's becoming a little bit harder."

"I'm going to leave another message for Malcolm," Thea pulled her cell out of her robe pocket, "I'm going to tell him that I'm ready to be his daughter."

Oliver covered Thea's phone and lowered it into her lap, "No, absolutely not. I don't want you anywhere near Malcolm and you know that Tommy doesn't want that either. He'd never be willing to trade places with you."

"Malcolm won't hurt me. He thinks I'm his second chance to be a father." Thea squared her shoulders, "Nothing else is working, let me try."

"Please, Thea. Promise me that you won't contact him again." Oliver gripped her hand tighter, "I can't worry about losing you too."

"Why is it okay for Tommy to be willing to sacrifice himself for me, but I can't do it for him?" She asked defiantly. "It's my choice."

"Because," Oliver kissed her forehead, "he's your big brother and it's in the job description. Keeping you safe, it's what we do."

Thea nodded, "I just want them to come home."

Oliver wrapped his arm around Thea's shoulder and pulled her into his side, "I know you do. I do too."

 

Tommy lost track of time as he paced back and forth across his cell. All he could think about was Felicity and how pale she looked as she struggled to breathe. If she died, he'd never forgive himself. She had two boyfriends and she'd been kidnapped with the one least capable of saving her life. If Oliver had been there instead of him, Oliver would've found a way to get them out. Felicity wouldn't be fighting for her life because she never would've gotten sick. Oliver would've had her home and warm in their bed long before now.

He walked by his untouched tray of food. Even though his body was starving for nourishment, he had no appetite. The sores on his hands and feet were bleeding, but he felt no pain. He was numb to everything, but the ache in his chest for Felicity. As he approached the tray again, he lifted the beaker of water and drained it in two gulps. Rage suddenly filled his every pore and he hurled the clay vessel against the wall. It exploded into hundreds of pieces, but instead of quieting his anger, the act only fueled it.

He was angry with Ra's al Ghul for kidnapping them and holding them in deplorable conditions. He was furious with his father because he had no doubt that his father had a hand in their abduction. God help him, he was angry with Oliver for not finding them and rescuing them. Tommy tripped as it occurred to him that maybe something had happened to Oliver and he was unable to help them. With that thought his anger disappeared and was replaced with despair. If they were going to be rescued, Tommy needed to find a way to rescue them. He dropped onto his mattress and fell into a fitful sleep.

Tommy jumped when his cell door clicked open. He'd been sleeping heavily and hadn't heard the two assassins enter the cell block. He shook his head in an attempt to wake himself.

One of the assassins gestured for him to move forward, "You come."

Tommy approached them warily, "Is Felicity okay?"

The assassin gestured towards the end of the cell block. Tommy took a hesitating step, not sure if this was a trap. The thought that they might be taking him to Felicity made his next step more determined. As he crossed over the threshold to his cell block, for the first time under his own power, he felt a small surge of hope. Maybe he could figure out a way to save them if they weren't locked up and confined.

Two more assassins were waiting for them outside of the cell block. The four assassins flanked him and escorted him through a labyrinth of stone hallways and staircases. He did his best to memorize the route he was taking , but after a ten minutes he was confident that they were leading him in circles.

His guards stopped in front of two large wooden doors. The doors opened inwards and a cloud of steam escaped from within. One of the assassins placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him forward. Tommy stumbled into the room and the large wooden doors closed behind him.

"Remove your clothing," an elderly man stepped out from the heavy steam, "you must bathe."

"I usually like to know a person's name before I take off my clothes. I'm an old fashioned guy." Tommy extended his hand in greeting, "Tommy Merlyn."

The elderly man sized him up, but did not take his hand, "Al Sa-Bah. Will you remove your clothes now?"

Tommy grinned. It was the first time since Ra's that he'd gotten anyone to speak to him. If he was going to find a way out of Nanda Parbat he would need to find allies. Maybe this man would be someone he could persuade to help them.

He really didn't want to remove his clothes, but the thought of a bath was too tempting. He eyed the old man warily. If he was going to die, he'd prefer not to be naked, not unless he was in bed with Oliver and Felicity. He was unsure of what type of threat the man posed. Al Sa-Bah was barely Felicity's height, his limbs were withered, his skin hung loosely on his frame and his face was weathered. Al Sa-Bah might be a bathhouse attendant, but the bathhouse was in the League, so he was pretty confident that he was lethal. The elderly man lifted one inquisitive eyebrow. Tommy decided that while Al Sa-Bah didn't look kind, he didn't look cruel either.

Tommy kicked off his sneakers and stepped out of his clothing. He followed the man into the steam until he was at edge of a large stone pool. The water was still and Tommy cringed at his filthy reflection. His hair, which was naturally wavy, was the longest it had ever been. Instead of growing down towards his chin, his hair was growing outwards into a sphere. He had a thick bushy beard that concealed the gauntness of his cheeks, but it was the change in his body that had shocked him. Prior to his abduction, he'd been the fittest he'd ever been. Training for the marathon had made him lean with well defined muscles. The person staring back at him was all sharp angles. His collarbone, ribs and hips were visible and a stark reminder of the starvation he'd endured.

The first step into the steaming water was uncomfortably hot, but as he slowly submerged his aching body into the water he felt what was left of his muscles beginning to relax. He lowered himself into the water until it closed over his head. The silence the water provided was a welcome relief as he felt his body begin to shake and tears leak from his eyes as he permitted himself a moment to fall apart. When his lungs began to burn, he broke the surface of the water resolved to find a way home. Al Sa-Bah had placed a bar of soap and a sponge at the edge of the pool. Tommy lathered every inch of his body and scrubbed his skin until it was bright pink. He stayed in the water until his fingers and toes had pruned.

Al Sa-Bah stood at the top of the stone steps and held a large thin cloth open. Tommy reluctantly left the water and wrapped the towel around his waist. Al Sa-Bah led Tommy to a wooden chair, "Sit."

Tommy sat and eyed the man cautiously, "Do you know where my friend is? She was very ill. Do you know if she is all right?"

"I know nothing. I've been told to make you presentable." The man held up a pair of scissors, "You have lice."

Tommy sighed. The man was telling him nothing he didn't already know and he was grateful for the offer of relief, "Cut away."

Al Sa-Bah cut away at Tommy's beard and hair until it was closely shorn enough for him to begin to use a straight edge razor. The man lathered Tommy's head and face with saving soap, "Do not move."

Tommy remained still as Al Sa-Bah delicately shaved his scalp and his beard. When he was done he wiped Tommy's head and face with a warm towel before he rubbed a sweet smelling oil into his skin. If they' d been in Starling, Tommy would've tipped generously. It was the best shave he'd ever had.

Al Sa-Bah rubbed a soothing salve into the wounds on his hands and feet and Tommy nearly wept with gratitude. The burning in his hands and feet had been constant for weeks and to suddenly be without it was a gift. Tommy logically knew that this man had been ordered to look after him, but for the first time in months he felt like a human being again.

"Follow me," Al Sa-Bah moved to the edge of the room and opened a plain wooden door. "Change."

"Thank you," Tommy said as the man handed him the salve and then closed the door behind him.

Tommy shivered in the cool dry air. A neatly folded set of clothes were on a wooden bench. Tommy pulled on a loose fitting long-sleeved black cotton shirt and a pair of black drawstring pants. He slipped the salve into his pant pocket. A pair of fleece lined slippers were beneath the bench and Tommy slid them on.

A different door opened and an assassin gestured for him to follow. Tommy was once again surrounded by four assassins as he was escorted through another maze of corridors. They eventually stopped in front of a single wooden door that had elaborate carvings of trees and birds. One of the assassins opened the door and pointed within. Tommy looked into the dimly lit room to see a bed with an occupant he rejoiced to see, "Felicity."

He crossed the room and was at her side without a thought but that she was alive. He sat on the bed and took her hand in his. His free hand covered her forehead, feeling for a fever. She felt warm and her skin was gray. Her breathing was labored, but not as badly as when he last saw her. He placed his ear against her chest and he could hear her wet lungs rattle.  There was a large clay bowl over a low flame and a fragrant steam wafted towards her. The steam smelled of eucalyptus and was probably helping her breathe.

The room was clean and furnished nicely. It was also warm and dry. He felt hopeful that Felicity could recover if she were allowed to remain in these conditions.

"She is very ill," a heavily accented voice said from behind him. "She will live, I think."

Tommy turned his head to see the woman in green silk robes, "Thank you for helping her."

"Do not thank me," she bowed her head slightly, "your deaths do not serve the Demon's Head. If she dies, so will many others."

Tommy grunted and turned his attention back to Felicity, "Good to know."

"You and your woman will remain here. You will eat," she gestured towards a table laden with food, "and you will rest. I will return later to check on her to administer more medicine." She walked to a red silk rope, "If she worsens, pull this."

The faint click of a lock confirmed that they'd exchanged one prison for a gilded one. He laid down on his side next to Felicity. Her hair had been washed and braided. He pressed his nose against her head and was disappointed that her hair smelled sharp and medicinal instead of like her usual roses. He was grateful that they hadn't shaved her head to rid her of her lice. She was going to be upset enough about her roots. She was dressed in a long-sleeved white cotton gown and covered by a thick fur blanket. He draped a protective arm over her hip. He placed his other hand over her pillow and rested his head against his bicep.

Her eyes fluttered open, "Tommy?"

"I'm here, Felicity. You're going to be fine, go back to sleep." He began to sing softly to her as he watched her chest rise and fall as she fell back to sleep. As long as she was breathing, there was hope. He allowed the steady rhythm of her breathing to lull him to sleep.

 

Oliver heard as much felt the man's jaw crack beneath his fist. The man's scream of pain failed to deter Oliver from continuing to rain blow after blow on Abel Duncan, the man who'd been sexually assaulting and putting fear into the women of the Glades for the past month. They'd gotten a lead on Duncan three days ago, but fatigue had finally caught up with Oliver and he'd forgotten that there wasn't anyone on comms running traffic for him. He'd lost his concentration while pursuing their target and was unprepared for a semi pulling into traffic. Oliver was forced to put his Ducati down on a curve. He was lucky to be uninjured, but Duncan had gotten away and disappeared. Roy had talked to every street contact he had and Oliver had looked under every overpass, abandoned warehouse and subway tunnel in an attempt to shake Duncan loose from his hiding place, but their efforts had been fruitless. Because he'd failed to capture Duncan, the rapist had been free the night before to rape Mabel Evers, twenty-three, on her way home from her job.

Oliver was vaguely aware of Roy pulling against his shoulder, but it wasn't until he heard Dig's firm voice in his earpiece, "Oliver, enough," that he stopped.

"Get the hell out of here," Roy hissed through gritted teeth, "I'll wait for the cops."

The ride back to the Foundry did nothing to calm Oliver's racing heart. He wanted to find someone else to beat on, but he knew that in his state of mind he was likely to kill someone. He pulled his bike into a dark alley a few blocks from the Foundry in an attempt to get himself under control. He turned off his bike, closed his eyes and took slow deep breaths. After several minutes, he realized that he was no longer alone.

"Most people who sneak up on me get shot with an arrow," Oliver spoke into the darkness.

"I have complete faith in your situational awareness," Dig teased.

"If that were true, you wouldn't have tracked me down," Oliver got off his bike.

"I'm worried about you," Dig said plainly, "you nearly killed Abel Duncan tonight."

"No one is going to cry over a serial rapist's broken jaw," Oliver said defensively.

"True," Dig folded is arms across his chest. "What happened to Mabel Evers last night wasn't your fault. That's on Duncan."

Oliver shook his head, "I had him in my sights and I lost him. What happened to Mabel Evers was most definitely my fault."

Dig rubbed his hands over his face, "Sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes we lose, Oliver. You're not God."

"I know I'm not God," Oliver said angrily, "but I can't afford to make mistakes. People suffer and die when I screw up."

Dig sighed in frustration, "Not every terrible thing that happens in this city is on you. You've got to give yourself a break."

"Abel Duncan was my responsibility and tonight I made sure there won't be another Mabel Evers," Oliver shouted. Even in the darkness of the alley, Oliver knew he was receiving Dig's most disapproving stare, "Go ahead, say it."

"You're losing it, man. You're taking out your frustration about Tommy and Felicity on anyone that gives you an excuse. I understand, man, but you've got to get it under control." Dig stepped closer, "Losing yourself to your anger will not help them and it might get you killed. Don't allow yourself to become someone that Felicity and Tommy won't recognize. Wherever they are, they want to come home to the man that they fell in love with. It's not your fault that they were taken."

Oliver pulled his hood down and removed his mask, "Then who the hell's fault was it, John? What good is being the Arrow if I can't protect the people I love?"

"Talk to me," Dig said gently, "tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"They closed the case today," Oliver kicked a glass bottle against the alley wall.

Dig stepped in front of Oliver, "What?"

"Lance came to see me today, while you were out getting lunch. The commissioner closed the case. He said that there is no proof that either of them were taken against their will and since I haven't received a ransom demand, he believes that they've run away together."

Dig sighed, "It's not like we actually thought the police would find them."

Oliver knew that his friend was trying to comfort him, but it only reminded him of his failure, "I'm not finding them either. We're out of leads. A.R.G.U.S. was a dead end. There weren't any fingerprints on Felicity's glasses or on any surface of the Foundry or Verdant. Our only witness to both abductions is a ninety pound mutt and unless STAR labs can come up with a way for Hildy to talk she's not going to be very helpful. Malcolm hasn't demanded his money back. I can't find any sign of Malcolm and without Felicity, it's like I'm fumbling in the dark. Thea has left countless messages for him imploring him to give her back her brother and he hasn't responded. This morning, I actually considered asking her to tell Malcolm she is ready for him to be her father in exchange for Tommy and Felicity's location." Oliver took a deep breath, "God, I wish it was true."

Dig shook his head in confusion, "What was true?"

"I wish they had run away together. I wish they were at some luxury resort, laying in a cabana, drinking fruity umbrella drinks and making love all night," Oliver's voice broke.

"Oliver," Dig squeezed Oliver's shoulder.

"I wish that they'd left me. If I knew that they were safe, I'd be okay." Oliver blinked his eyes in an attempt to banish his tears, "Malcolm said he would bring me to my knees. What if they're dead?"

Dig ran his hands over his head, "If Merlyn killed them, he'd want you to know. He wouldn't be able to resist taunting you about it. We would've found their bodies if they were dead. Besides, if he really wants a relationship with Thea, killing her brother and his girlfriend isn't the best way to get in her good graces."

Oliver wanted to believe that Tommy and Felicity were out there somewhere alive and waiting for him, but the part of him that understood Malcolm knew that their deaths were a real possibility. If he were as sadistic as Malcolm, he'd never reveal where he put their bodies. He'd want him to suffer as he slowly lost his mind looking for them. He'd want him to hold onto hope that they were out there, waiting for him to save them. He'd want him to think that he'd failed them. He'd want him to believe that they called out for him in their last moments. He'd want him to never have closure. Oliver shook his head, "Not if his ultimate goal is to torture me until I break."

"We're going to get them back," Dig said confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" Oliver was desperate for any reason to hope.

"Merlyn might be torturing you now, but he loves an audience. He's going to contact you and he'll reveal his hand. He can't resist." Dig slapped Oliver on the back, "Come on, let's get out of here. This place smells worse than Verdant's men's room on a Saturday night."

Oliver and Dig returned to the Foundry to find Roy pacing back in forth in front of Felicity's desk. "What's up, Roy?" Oliver returned his bow to its display, "Did something happen with Duncan?"

Roy approached Oliver nervously with an arm extended towards him. In his hand he held an unaddressed envelope, "This was taped to one of Felicity's monitors when I got back."

Oliver grabbed the envelope from Roy's hand and tore it open. With a shaking hand he read the brief note.

"What does it say?" Dig held his hand out and Oliver gave him the letter. Dig began to read, "If you want to be reunited with those you love, meet them at the time and place below."

"An address, a date and a time," Oliver said as he could barely contain a smile, "They're coming home and I'm going to end Malcolm Merlyn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Coming Up Next Time - Ra's al Ghul summon Tommy and Felicity before him.


	7. A Deal With The Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ra's al Ghul makes a deal with Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Your responses to the last chapter were a lot of fun to read. Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. Your responses always help to inspire me to write more for this universe.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

It had been five days since they'd been removed from their cells and Felicity appeared to be making a recovery, albeit a slow one. Her fever was gone and her skin was less gray, but her breathing continued to sound wet and she was still coughing so hard Tommy feared she'd crack a rib. Tommy was pained every time he looked at her. He hated to see her suffering and the feeling of powerlessness to do anything more useful than trying to make her comfortable. She spent most of her time asleep as Tommy kept a silent vigil. There was no chance for escape as long as Felicity's health was so compromised.

Felicity was looking at him with eyes that were sunken and resembled two purple bruises. Her lips were chapped and bleeding. "You're thinking too hard," Felicity pressed her fingertips against the crease in Tommy's brow.

Tommy collected a spoonful of broth and carefully held it to Felicity's lips, "That's because I want you to eat this, not wear it. Eye-hand coordination is your other boyfriend's superpower."

Felicity closed her lips around the spoon and swallowed the warm broth. Tommy returned the spoon to the bowl, "You do know that I can feed myself. I'm not that weak."

Tommy smiled and nodded, "Yes, but it makes me feel useful."

He lifted another spoonful to her lips and she made a wet slurping noise and they both broke out in laughter. Felicity flopped back onto her pillow to catch her breath. "When do you think they'll make us return to our cells?" she wheezed.

Tommy placed the broth on her night table and laid down beside her, "I don't know. I don't think they actually want us to die, or at least not yet. I actually think they're trying to get us healthy."

Felicity snuggled into his side, "That makes me nervous. I feel like a calf being fattened for slaughter."

"Interesting," Tommy kissed the tip of her nose, "I would've cast us as Hansel and Gretel and Ra's as the witch."

Felicity laced her fingers through his, "As long as the Hansel and Gretel in our story are not brother and sister."

Tommy pretended to shudder, "The tabloids would love that to be true, but for the sake of our story, Hansel and Gretel are most definitely not brother and sister."

Felicity smiled, "Good. Do you think there's an oven we can shove him into?"

Tommy rolled onto his back, "Even if there is, I don't know how to get us out of here yet."

Tommy sat up at the sound of a key in their door. The woman in green robes entered carrying a neatly folded stack of ornate clothing and placed them on the foot of their bed, "Ra's al Ghul has granted you an audience with him tonight. Bathe yourselves and wear the clothes I've provided. Be ready by the eighth call of the watch." She bowed her head and made to exit the room.

"No," Tommy rose from the bed, "Felicity is not well enough to go anywhere."

"Tommy," Felicity pulled on his hand gently, "it's fine."

"No, it's not fine," Tommy said angrily. "Ra's al Ghul took us from our home, threw us in a dungeon, nearly killed you and now he thinks he can summon us when you're not strong enough to stand."

The woman arched her brow, "I'm sure that Ra's al Ghul will be content to just meet with you, but I do not believe he will let you return to your beloved's side after such insolence."

"Please, Tommy," Felicity begged, "don't leave me. I'll be fine, I promise."

There was no way he was going to leave Felicity alone without a guaranty that he'd see her again, "Fine, we'll be ready by the eighth watch." The woman bowed her head and left the room.

He squeezed Felicity's hand, "I'm going to go fill the tub for us. You should take a nap."

Felicity held his hand tightly when he moved to pull away, "You don't think that we're on the menu tonight?"

Tommy rubbed his concave belly, "We're not nearly succulent enough yet." He kissed the top of her head, "I'm hoping we get some answers. It's about time we found out what the hell Ra's al Ghul wants with us."

Four hours later they were escorted into a large stone chamber. Ra's stood with his back to them as he ran his fingers through a steaming pool of water that cast a green glow across the walls and ceiling. Tommy and Felicity had been dressed in silk for their audience with the head of the League and he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being costumed for a ritual sacrifice. Tommy was outfitted in a black tunic, pants and a robe. Felicity was dressed in a long red gown with gold and green embroidered flowers and she'd been provided with a long black fur robe to protect her from the cool evening air. The walk from their room to the chamber had exhausted Felicity and only Tommy's arm around her waist was keeping her upright. A sheen of sweat lined her brow and her breathing was heavy.

Ra's turned to face them, "Good evening. Thank you for joining me." He crooked an arm, "Ms. Smoak, it is nice to finally meet you."

Felicity shot Tommy a quick nervous look before she hooked her arm through Ra's, "Thank you."

Ra's brow furrowed as he studied Felicity's pale face, "You're still not well."

He snapped his fingers and an assassin stepped forward, "A chair for my guest. She's not well enough to stand."

A chair instantly materialized and Ra's helped to lower Felicity to the seat, "My daughter speaks very highly of you. She says that you showed great courage in your confrontation with Slade Wilson and were the key to his defeat. Your accomplishments are impressive for someone so young."

"I played my part. We all did, including your daughter. Without the assistance of the League, I believe Starling might've fallen that night," Felicity maintained eye contact with Ra's, but her fingers gripped the sides of the chair to keep herself upright. "Where is Nyssa? I'd like to say, hi."

Ra's smiled and reached for one of Felicity's hands. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, "I'm always delighted when I'm reminded that modest women remain in this world. If I were a younger man with more years before me, I would take you as a bride. You would give me worthy heirs."

Felicity was at a loss for a response. She knew she was supposed to be flattered, but mostly her flesh was crawling at the thought of bearing Ra's al Ghul's children. She looked to Tommy, who looked equally horror stricken. She decided against antagonizing her kidnapper and kept her mouth firmly shut. She wondered why Ra's didn't respond to her question about Nyssa.

Ra's stepped away from her and he moved closer to the pool of water. Felicity cleared her throat, "May I ask," her body shook as she was overtaken with a coughing fit, "how long have we been here?"

Ra's circled the pool, "You've been here for seventy-one days and Mr. Merlyn for eighty-five. It was never my intention to keep you as long as I have, but things arose that required my attention. I apologize for the conditions you were kept under. They were not my instructions and those who are responsible have been punished."

Tommy had moved to kneel in front of Felicity. He held a white cloth to her lips and his hands trembled when he realized the cloth was spotted with blood, "Why are we here? What do you want with us?"

"I did not order your abduction Thomas," Ra's said apologetically. "Your father left you as a present for me."

Felicity's hands moved to cover Tommy's when his fingers flexed tightly against her shoulders, "You told me that I'm your hostage. Are you expecting my father to change his mind? Do you think he'll pay you a ransom for me?"

"What do you know of your father's time with the League?" Ra's took a glass of wine from a female attendant.

Tommy had to suppress a laugh at the thought of his father sharing anything with him other than disappointment and shame, "Nothing. I didn't know my father was in the League until Sara and Nyssa told me."

Ra's offered Tommy and Felicity wine. Felicity declined but Tommy took a glass. Ra's inclined his head towards Tommy and both men drank, or at least Tommy pretended to. "When your father arrived here in Nanda Parbat he was a broken man. Your mother's death had shattered him and he came here for help. I taught him how to protect himself and to protect others. He became a valued and trusted advisor and a favorite of Nyssa's. In the early years, he spoke of you with love and pride. He wanted nothing more than to return to your side and to keep you safe from the cruelties of the world. I envied him for his son. I have only been granted daughters and they have proven to be a disappointment." Ra's eyes lost focus, "I would say that I called him friend, which is why what happened next is truly my responsibility. Your father was mortally wounded protecting me. I could not bear the thought of losing my friend and trusted advisor, so I brought him here," Ra's pointed to the pool of water. "These waters saved his life but scarred his soul. When I realized there was little I could do to heal his soul, I released him from his daily obligations and sent him home. I hoped that by reuniting him with you, his beloved son, that his soul would begin to heal on its own and, when the time came, he would be able to assist me in my final plans."

Tommy moved closer to the water and wondered if it had the power to help Felicity, "You said mortally wounded."

Ra's fingers trailed along the water's surface. "Yes, without these healing waters, your father would've died. I saved him, but my decision condemned many others. I believe you have suffered greatly under your father's hands."

"I don't understand," Tommy said honestly.

"I have been using these waters for centuries to prolong my life." Ra's took a blade and ran it down the center of his palm. He submerged his hand in the water for thirty seconds and when he removed it, the wound was gone. Ra's looked between Tommy and Felicity for their reactions, "I know it is hard to believe, but yet, it is true. The use of the water comes with a price. Sometimes the price is an unquenchable bloodlust. For other's it is madness."

"What is the price you paid?" Felicity asked curiously.

Ra's smiled, "Some will tell you that it is madness. Others, bloodlust.  The price I paid is as close to being immortal as almost anyone has ever come, but time has even caught up with me and these waters will no longer sustain me." Ra's dried his hand on his robes, "My long life has caused me a little madness. How could it not? When you've seen what I've seen, it is hard not to go mad." Ra's stared into the water, "Humanity squanders the gift our creator bestowed upon us. For their own selfish ends, humanity has polluted the air we breathe, poisoned the water we drink and driven many of the creatures we have dominion over into extinction. In the last two hundred years I've watched humanity advance technologically and come close to destroying the entire ecosystem of our planet. The day of reckoning is almost upon us." Ra's turned his attention back to Tommy and Felicity, "We were speaking of your father."

It took a moment for Tommy to realize that he'd been spoken to. He was too busy trying to process what Ra's had told them about being alive for centuries and being more than a little concerned that Ra's sounded a little off his rocker when discussing the planet and a day of reckoning. From the frown on Felicity's face, Tommy knew that she was trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle Ra's was providing them with. Tommy refocused on Ra's, "These waters gave my father bloodlust?"

Ra's looked at Tommy sympathetically, "I'm afraid your father has paid with madness. His murderous plot to avenge your mother was bred from the waters of this pool."

"Are you telling me that none of his actions are his fault?" Tommy refused to believe that there was any absolution for his father. His dad murdered Robert, Laurel and five hundred and three other innocent people, not to mention everyone else in the crosshairs of his plan. He did his best to kill Oliver and Sara. There couldn't be absolution through a loophole created by a healing hot tub.

Ra's drained his wine cup, "No, even in his madness, your father knew right from wrong. He broke his oaths to me and for that he must pay. It pains me deeply to know that it was my love for your father that has brought this all about. I had such hopes for Al Sa-Her."

"Do you think you can use me to get my father to surrender to you?" Tommy was more confused than ever. He truly didn't understand why his father would give him to Ra's or what value Ra's thought he had to his father, let alone what Ra's wanted with Felicity.

"I do not plan to negotiate with your father, my business with him is concluded. You provide value to me elsewhere." Ra's waved his hand in front of his face, "My plans are not important for you to know. Just know that you're safety is my utmost concern."

"Did Malcolm deliver me to you too?" Felicity did her best not to sway in her seat. She was struggling to stay focused and it was all she could do to keep her eyes opened.

"No, Ms. Smoak. I made the decision to take you before Al Sa-Her did. After Thomas was left here in my care, I wanted to learn more about the son of my former ally. My research led me to you and to discover Al Sa-Her's interest to acquire you like an asset. It is imperative that you never fall into his clutches. You may be of use to me in the coming months."

Ra's words had gotten her full attention and she tried not to show him fear. Oliver had worried that Malcolm would try to kidnap her in order to get his hands on her computer virus. If she thought Malcolm was dangerous, he paled in comparison to what Ra's and the League were capable of, "So, you plan on keeping us here forever?"

"No, my plans have changed and I've made other arrangements. In three days we return to Starling. It is past time I reunite you with Oliver Queen." Ra's strode out of the room without another word.

Tommy helped Felicity to her feet. When her knees buckled, he swept her into his arms and began to follow an assassin back to their room. "Do you really think he's taking us back to Oliver?" She whispered against his ear.

At the mention of Oliver's name, the hair rose on the back of his neck. Ra's wasn't finished with them and he feared that his plans for Oliver were just beginning. Everything Ra's had told them made him think that they were all in far graver danger than they thought they were in twenty minutes ago. "Yes, we're going home," Tommy kissed her temple and tried not to think of the blood speckled cloth in his pocket.

 

It had been seven days since the note had been left at the Foundry and Oliver practically vibrated with anticipation as he and Diggle were escorted through the underground tunnels of the vacant football stadium. Large torches were set up along the tunnel walls and cast eerie shadows along the floors and walls. "The League," Oliver said for only Dig's ears, "makes no sense. Why would they be working with Malcolm?" It never even crossed his mind that the League, outside of Sara, would have any interest in him, let alone Tommy and Felicity. He was frantically searching his memory for everything he knew about the League and what their possible motivation could be.

"Maybe this never had anything to do with Merlyn." Dig leaned closer to him, "Do you think they travel with the torches, or do they rent them in town?"

Oliver shot his friend a look. He appreciated that Dig was trying to distract him, but he needed to be focused - Tommy and Felicity's lives depended on it. He'd seriously miscalculated the situation. All these months he'd only been focused on Malcolm. He'd never considered the possiblity that anyone else could've taken Tommy and Felicity.

The tunnel opened up into a large torch lit room that must've been used for storage before it had been turned into a League of Assassins gathering spot.  There were at least fifty assassins lined up creating an aisle that Oliver and Dig would have to walk through. In the center of the room stood a man in a long black robe. Oliver scanned the room quickly, but there wasn't any sign of Tommy, Felicity, Malcolm, Sara or Nyssa. He squared his shoulders and approached the man with Dig by his side, "Where are Tommy Merlyn and Felicity Smoak."

"Patience, my son. Your consorts are here, but there is much to discuss before you are reunited. I am Ra's al Ghul."

Oliver flexed his jaw, "I will discuss nothing with you until I see Tommy and Felicity."

Ra's raised his hand and two of his assassins melted into the darkness, "I will forgive you your insolence this once. You are new to our ways and you're clearly distressed about your consorts."

Oliver sighed with relief as Tommy was escorted into the room by four assassins. Cradled in Tommy's arms was Felicity. They both looked painfully thin, Tommy's head was shaved, his hands were bandaged and he was walking with a limp. Felicity appeared to be asleep, but Oliver could hear her shallow breathing from across the room. "Are you all right?" Oliver asked Tommy directly.

"I'm fine. Felicity needs a hospital. I think she has pneumonia." Tommy sounded calm and in control, but his eyes could never hide the truth from Oliver. Tommy wasn't afraid just for himself and Felicity, he was warning Oliver that they were all in danger.

"I trust we may begin our discussion," Ra's stated. "What do you know of Malcolm Merlyn's blood debt?"

Oliver's fists clenched at his sides. After all this, it was still about Malcolm. "I know that he violated a League code when he attempted to level the Glades," Oliver said cautiously as he tried to keep his eye on both Ra's and his lovers. He would feel a lot better if he and Dig were still armed and Tommy and Felicity were standing next to him instead of Ra's assassins.

"Malcolm Merlyn had been granted a release from serving the League on a daily basis, but he was not freed from our ways. When he murdered the citizens of your city he violated a code of conduct that has been in existence for a thousand years. He broke an oath we are all required to take. We do not kill for ourselves. We kill for a higher purpose - a cause that is greater than our own. When Al Sa-Her violated our code, his blood became forfeit," Ra's nodded at the guards surrounding Tommy and Felicity. Two of the guards ripped Felicity from Tommy's arms and moved her into the shadows. Tommy was dragged to Ra's side and forced onto his knees.  "Al Sa-Her's blood debt need not be settled with the blood that flows through his veins," he raised his sword and placed it against Tommy's neck, "his son's blood will do just as well."

"No," Oliver shouted as he pulled against the arms of the six men that suddenly held him. "What do you want?"

"As his consort, you may offer your life for his," Ra's offered.

"Yes," Oliver said without hesitation, "I offer myself in his place."

"No, Ollie," Tommy shouted.

"I accept," Ra's said as he approached Oliver. When he stood directly in front of him he said, "On your knees."

"No," Tommy shouted as he struggled against the assassins who were holding him down on the ground.

Oliver could hear Diggle struggling against the assassins who had surrounded him. He feared that none of them would get out of this situation alive. "I have your word that you will allow Tommy, Felicity and John to go free."

"The moment you surrender your life to me, your friends will go free," Ra's spun his sword in his hand.

Oliver lowered himself to his knees. He sought Tommy's eyes from across the room and silently asked for his forgiveness. His eyes scanned the darkness and barely made out Felicity. He was grateful that she wouldn't see him die. His eyes returned to Tommy's and he smiled. If these were his last breaths, he would spend them looking into the eyes of the man he loved.

Oliver felt more than saw Ra's blade move. He didn't flinch as the blade stopped millimeters from his neck. In surprise, Oliver looked up at his would be killer and was shocked to see a gentle smile spread across Ra's lips.

"You are everything I'd hoped for in an heir," Ra's extended a hand to Oliver and pulled him to his feet. He raised a hand and the men who held Tommy and Dig let them go. "There is more than one way to surrender your life. I do not want your death, Oliver Queen, I want you as my heir."

Oliver shook his head in disbelief, "Your heir? Nyssa is the Heir to the Demon."

"My daughter has not proven herself worthy of being my heir and I have been forced to find another who will share my vision," Ra's sheathed his sword.

"You don't know me. Why would you think I'm worthy of being your heir?" Oliver had no idea how Ra's could possibly believe he was capable of joining the League. If Nyssa was unworthy, he couldn't imagine how he could be considered a preferable replacement.

"Ever since my daughter asked me for assassins to assist you to defeat Slade Wilson, I've taken an interest in you. You are a cunning warrior and you have a sense of honor and justice. You live for a cause greater than yourself. You kill when necessary, but you do not take joy in it. You will make an excellent Heir to the Demon."

"What if I say no?" Oliver asked. "I have a life and responsibilities in this city."

"Malcolm Merlyn came to me and offered me his son's blood in exchange for his own. I normally do not believe in making a child pay the debts of their father, but Al Sa-Her also knew this, which is why he reminded me of my interest in you. I knew that you would offer to take your consort's place and that you would be reborn as my heir. You have already given me your life. It is no longer yours to do with as you please. If you refuse my offer, I will settle the blood debt owed me by severing the neck of Al Sa-Her's son and for your betrayal, I will end the life of your other consort, but not before I make you watch her scream beneath my blade. I can make her death last for months."

Oliver would endure anything to save Tommy and Felicity's life, "Okay."

Ra's smiled kindly, "Excellent. I'm not an unfeeling man. Joining the League means severing all ties to your past. I will give you thirty days to get your affairs in order and to say good-bye to your loved ones. If you aren't in Nanda Parbat on the thirty first day, I will kill both of your beloveds personally. Do not doubt the sincerity of my words. You are my heir now and any betrayal by you will have consequences."

Ra's raised his arm again and the assassins began to file out of the room. The assassin who held Felicity placed her into Oliver's arms. Tommy, Oliver and Dig watched the League file out of the room before they moved. As soon as the last assassin was gone, Dig took Felicity from Oliver. Tommy was in Oliver's arms seconds later. Neither man spoke as they held each other. Oliver squeezed Tommy tightly before he released him and took Felicity back from Dig.

"Felicity," Oliver spoke softly against her ear alarmed at the blue tinge to her lips and fingertips, "wake up." When she didn't respond to his voice, he looked to Tommy in concern.

"It's the medicine they've been giving her for her fever and cough. It knocks her out," Tommy's hand brushed Felicity's hair off of her feverish damp forehead.

"Let's get out of here before they change their minds about letting us go," Dig said as he started back the way they came.

Oliver and Tommy fell into step behind Dig. Oliver couldn't take his eyes off of Felicity. He couldn't believe that she was actually in his arms or how much her health had deteriorated, "Felicity needs to be in the hospital," Oliver looked over at Tommy and his emaciated frame, "you both do."

Tommy rested his bandaged hand on Oliver's shoulder, "We can worry about me, once a doctor has looked at Felicity."

Oliver had no idea how he was going to get himself out of the deal he'd made with the devil. As if reading his mind Tommy whispered, "Don't worry. You won't have to go to Nanda Parbat. As soon as Felicity is awake and learns that you joined the League, she's going to kill you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Coming Up Next Time - The clock is ticking and Oliver asks something of Felicity that she might not be willing to do.


	8. An Indecent Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Oliver tell Felicity about Oliver's deal with Ra's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I continue to be amazed by everyone's kind and passionate response to this fic and the series - thank you. I appreciate each and every one of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. Your responses always help to keep me motivated.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

_The next day_

Felicity was surprised and more than a little disoriented to wake up in a hospital bed with Tommy next to her. The last thing she remembered was her fever returning and the look of fear in Tommy's eyes as he lied and told her everything was going to be okay as she struggled to breathe. She pulled the oxygen mask she was wearing off. "I must be dreaming or dead," she pinched herself, "ow."

A small chuckle sounded from the chair next to her bed. Oliver was resting his head on the mattress with his arm draped across her waist and resting on Tommy's stomach, "You're not dreaming. You just slept through all of the excitement."

Felicity's hand flew to her face and traced the side of her glasses as she realized that she could finally see for the first time since she'd been abducted. She began to cry as she reached for him. His red rimmed eyes were watching her with the intensity of the Arrow, "Oliver, is it really you? Are we really home?" He felt warm beneath her finger tips, but he was always warm in her dreams.

He was smiling, but he looked sad, "You're home and you're safe."

"Why are you sitting there? I'm sure we can make room," Felicity tried to sound playful, but the look on Oliver's face was worrying. Something bad had happened while she was unconscious. She looked back over at Tommy to reassure herself that he was truly there.

Oliver shrugged, "I wanted to watch the both of you sleep - make sure you didn't disappear on me again."

She reached out for him, "Please come closer, I've missed you so much."

Oliver stood up and he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. He checked the monitor behind her and pulled the oxygen mask back over her mouth, "You need to keep this on. Your oxygen levels are too low."

"Pneumonia?" Felicity linked her fingers with Oliver's as she waited for confirmation of the diagnosis she and Tommy suspected.

He sighed, "The doctor's think you had a reaction to whatever was in the gas the League used to sedate you when they took you from the foundry. It irritated your lungs and caused some tissue scaring. You developed fluid in your lungs which led to pneumonia. We're incredibly lucky that you're alive. The doctor said that you would've been dead within two days if we hadn't brought you in."

Felicity turned her head to look at Tommy and took hold of his hand, "I'm alive because of him, he fought for me." She turned her smile back on Oliver before she remembered what she wanted to ask him when Oliver mentioned the gas, "Oh, what about Hildy?"

Oliver smiled, "Our big red beast is fine. She's been staying with Thea and Roy and being completely spoiled."

Felicity looked over at her sleeping boyfriend. For the first time she realized he was in hospital pajamas and had an I.V. in. His hands and feet were wrapped in gauze, "How's Tommy?"

Oliver sank into the chair by her bedside, "Severely malnourished and he has chilblains on his hands and feet, but he'll be fine. The hospital is going to release him today."

She smiled through a yawn, "Good, I just want to go home and sleep in our bed."

He dropped his forehead to their joined hands before he looked at her, "You're not going home tonight. It's going to be a few weeks."

Felicity tried to sit up, "A few weeks? No, I want to go home today."

Felicity's movement woke Tommy, "Hey, you're awake. What's going on?"

"I'm explaining to Felicity that she's going to need to stay in the hospital for a few more weeks," Oliver said gently.

Tears streamed down her face, "Oliver, please don't make me stay here. I can't, I need to go home."

Oliver wiped her tears, "The doctors need to give you a course of steroids to treat the tissue damage and you have to undergo breathing therapy. Your condition is serious, Felicity."

She tried to never play Oliver and Tommy against one another to get her way, but she was desperate. Felicity rolled over to face Tommy, "You'll take me home." She rested her head against Tommy's chest and wrapped her arm around his waist, "You know why I can't stay here."

Tommy wrapped his arms around her, "You know that I would do anything for you, but I won't jeopardize your health. I promise, you'll never be left alone. I'll sleep here every night until you come home."

Felicity began to cry as she realized that they were going to make her stay away from her home. She hadn't spent months fantasizing about going home only to go to the hospital. She dreamt of her bed and kitchen in Cobble Hill. She wanted to curl up with Hildy in front of the fireplace and watch mindless television. There were moments when she thought she was going to die in Nanda Parbat and never get to see her home, Oliver or Tommy again. Her crying intensified and she was suddenly wheezing and gasping for breath. The machines Felicity was hooked to suddenly started beeping and an alarm went off. Tommy rolled off the bed and lowered the head of the mattress. Oliver placed her hand on his chest and encouraged her to try and match her breathing to his.

A nurse entered the room and injected something into her I.V. line. Felicity felt her body begin to relax and her breathing became less labored. Her eyes became heavy and the last thing she heard was Oliver and Tommy telling her that they loved her.

The next time she woke up, Felicity was alone. Both the oxygen mask and her glasses were still on her face, but her room was empty. The sound of Oliver and Tommy's voices drew her attention to the door of her room. Through the glass insert she could see both of her boyfriends and they were both angry. She couldn't hear what was being said, but Tommy was gesturing violently and Oliver was running his hands over his head. She pulled against the rail on the side of her bed, desperate to stand up and get between them. They rarely fought but when they did it could be explosive.

"Hey," Tommy's worried voice dragged her from focusing on lowering the rail, "where are you going?" Tommy placed a paper bag on her table before placing his hands on her shoulders.

Felicity looked to the door, waiting for Oliver to make an appearance. When he wasn't right on Tommy's heels she looked at him with concern, "Why are you fighting?"

Tommy gently shifted her forward so he could plump her pillows. He guided her back against the pillows and pushed a strand of hair out of her face, "We're not fighting."

Felicity wrinkled her nose at him and lowered her oxygen mask, "If you're not fighting, where is he?"

"Dig is downstairs. Oliver needs to discuss some evening work with him. He'll be right back." Tommy gestured to the bag, "We're having dinner together."

He lifted the oxygen mask off of her head and replaced it with a nasal cannula as he studiously avoided eye contact. Felicity watched him as he unpacked the paper bag containing their dinner. The smell of Chinese food wafted over her and her stomach growled in anticipation. She knew that he was lying to her and that he was upset. His shoulders were a rigid line and he kept bending and straightening his right leg. He was definitely keeping something from her and as she remembered Oliver's behavior from earlier in the morning, something was wrong and she didn't think it was her health. "Tommy," she reached for him.

He arched a brow at her and smiled at her outstretched arms. He took her hands and allowed her to pull him onto her bed. Tommy ran a hand over the top of her head, "Thea was here earlier. She wanted me to tell you that Hildy misses you and that she will be here in the morning with a box of hair dye."

Felicity laughed as she brought her hand to the top of her head, "It looks that bad?"

Tommy smiled softly, "You look beautiful."

"You look too thin," she pulled on the leg of his skinny jeans that were now hanging loose on him, "are you sure you're okay?"

"Do you think the doctors would let me out of here if they could charge our insurance company more money?" he squeezed her hand. "Egg drop or wonton?"

Felicity eyed the food containers greedily, "Grand Marnier shrimp?"

Tommy laughed, "Nice try, but you and I are on a liquid and pudding diet until the doctors clear us for solid food." He picked up two soup containers, "Egg drop or wonton. I should warn you, the wonton soup is wonton free."

Felicity frowned, but held out her hands, "Egg drop."

"Excellent choice," he handed her a container and a spoon. He fished another container of soup from the bag and sat back down on the foot of her bed.

She glanced back at the door, "Aren't we going to wait for Oliver?"

Tommy pulled the lid off of his soup, "We'll eat slow, he'll catch up." He nodded at her container, "I promise, he'll be right back. Eat."

The first spoonful of the soup was like heaven and she sighed with pleasure, "I forgot food was supposed to taste good."

Tommy swallowed his spoonful of egg drop soup and smiled, "I think even your cooking would taste good right now."

"I find that hard to believe," Oliver walked into the room and kissed Felicity on the head. He went to walk around the foot of the bed to grab some food when he stopped. Oliver placed his hand onto Tommy's shoulder and dropped a kiss onto the top of his head. Tommy dropped his forehead to Oliver's hand before returning his attention to his soup.

Felicity let the breath she was holding out. Whatever storm had been brewing between them had seemed to have passed. She scooted over so Oliver could sit next to her. He toed off his shoes and sat down with his beef and broccoli. Once he was settled, she launched into what she hoped would be an easy question, "What's the story for our disappearance?"

Oliver placed his chopsticks back into his container, "It's a version of the truth. Waller is going to provide the official cover and back our story. Tommy was taken in an attempt to get me to turn over sensitive details on government contracts. When I refused to cooperate, per the guidance of federal law enforcement, you were taken. Working with law enforcement, I pretended to agree to the kidnappers demands, which ultimately led to your rescue."

"Which unlucky members of the Suicide Squad are taking the fall for this one?" Felicity asked knowing that Waller was thorough and she'd have kidnappers to parade in front of the  media.

"I don't know," Oliver furrowed his brow, "I didn't ask, but there are no innocent members of the Suicide Squad."

Felicity ran her hand down the side of Oliver's face. It might not have been called the Suicide Squad back then, but Oliver had definitely been a member when Waller conscripted him after the Amazo sank. Felicity would always be grateful that A.R.G.U.S. saved Oliver from drowning in the North China Sea, but if Amanda Waller found the cure for every disease on earth, Felicity would still never forgive her for what she did to Oliver.

With the easy question out of the way, Felicity moved to the question that had been plaguing her since she'd first woken in the hospital, "Why did Ra's let us go?"

Oliver and Tommy shot each other a look and put food into their mouths in an effort to not speak. Oliver chewed his mouthful slowly and Felicity was truly impressed with how long it was taking Tommy to swallow a mouthful of egg drop soup. If she didn't know that they were hiding something terrible from her she would've found their evasive maneuvers comical, "He let us go. What could possibly be so bad that you're afraid to tell me?" She looked between them, but neither would make eye contact with her, "Are Dig and Roy okay? Did something happen to them getting us out?"

Oliver grabbed her hand, "No, everyone is safe."

Tommy grunted his disagreement, but at Felicity's worried look he replied, "Dig and Roy are fine, I promise."

She could feel tears welling in her eyes, "Please, just tell me."

Oliver sighed, "I promise. We're going to tell you everything, but I really need the both of you to eat your dinner first." He tilted her chin towards him and lowered his mouth to hers. He gently sucked her bottom lip between his and ended the kiss sooner than she would've liked. He rubbed his nose against hers, "Please, eat, then we'll talk."

Thirty minutes later, Oliver and Tommy cleaned up their dinners while Felicity went to the bathroom with her I.V. pole and oxygen tank. She brushed her teeth and did her best to avoid her skeletal reflection. Thea couldn't come quick enough with the hair dye. She was going to ask to borrow Oliver's phone so she could text Thea and ask her to bring some blush and lipstick too. When she left the bathroom, both of the guys were squeezed onto the foot of the bed, holding hands. She couldn't help but smile at them pressed hip to hip with their fingers laced together. She got back into bed and looked at them expectantly.

Tommy smiled sadly at her, "My dad traded me to Ra's to settle his blood debt."

Felicity's blood ran cold at the realization of what that meant, "Your life in exchange for his?"

He nodded, "Yes, but he offered Oliver a deal."

Felicity shook her head, afraid to know what kind of deal the Head of the Demon would ask of Oliver, "What?"

"My life for Tommy's." Oliver held up his hand when Felicity bit her lip to stop herself from crying out, "I agreed, but"

Felicity's thoughts tumbled out of her, "I don't understand. He let you go so he could kill you later as part of some freaky ritual? Or did we escape and now we're just waiting for the entire League of Assassins to show up and kill you?" Her grief had quickly turned to anger.

Oliver looked at her with tears in his eyes, "In exchange for releasing Tommy from the blood debt, I've agreed to become his heir." Oliver took a deep breath, "He no longer thinks Nyssa is fit to lead the League after his death. He wants me to go to Nanda Parbat and join the League to become his successor."

Felicity laughed, "Well, that's ridiculous. You can't be the Heir of the Demon. Are we all supposed to move to Nanda Parbat? I've lived there and I plan on returning, never."

"Felicity, only I'm going to Nanda Parbat. I must foreswear my life as Oliver Queen and agree to become the Heir of the Demon or he will kill you and Tommy."

Felicity looked between both men and raised her voice, "No, that's not happening. In which universe do you actually think I'd let you join the League of Assassins? Hint, it's not this one."

Oliver rubbed his free hand over his face, "Felicity, the decision is made. He gave me thirty days to get my affairs in order and report to Nanda Parbat or he will kill you."

Felicity disconnected her I.V. from her hand and began to remove her heparin lock. Tommy and Oliver were instantly off the bed, reaching for her hands.

Oliver took hold of her wrists, "What are you doing?"

She looked at him like he was crazy, "What does it look like I'm doing? I can't stay here. I have less than thirty days to find Malcolm, Sara and Nyssa and figure a way to get us out of this mess."

Oliver let go of her wrists, "You're not going anywhere."

Felicity pulled the heparin lock all the way out and removed the nasal cannula, "We have I.V.s and oxygen in the Foundry. You can hook me up while I'm running my searches."

Oliver clasped her face between his hands, "You cannot leave the hospital. Felicity, you will die without this treatment."

Felicity officially found her loud voice, "If you think that I'm just going to sit in this bed for the next month and let you get torn out of our lives forever, then you are crazier than Ra's al Ghul."

Tommy sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hands, "Felicity, I need you to listen to me. We have twenty-eight days to figure something out, but if you leave this hospital we will have to deal with your health deteriorating while we're trying to get out from under Ra's. Leaving the hospital won't help Ollie. You can run whatever searches you need to from right here."

Felicity closed her eyes and counted to ten, "Okay, I'm going to make a list of everything I'll need. I also need both of my cells and the cell we use to contact Sara." Felicity held out her hand to Oliver, "Cell, please. I need to ask Thea to bring me some things and I'll just make my list for you in your task app."

Oliver handed Felicity his phone and he redirected his attention to Tommy, "Why don't you head out and spend the night at Thea's. Hildy is there and I know she'll be beside herself to see you."

Tommy folded his arms across his chest, "I'm not going anywhere. If Felicity is here, then I'm here."

Oliver stood up and moved to the foot of the bed and circled a finger in the air. Tommy sighed but he turned to face his boyfriend. Oliver's hands cupped Tommy's face and he kissed him gently, "You're exhausted. You're malnourished and your skin has broken down. You need a night in a warm bed in a home where someone can fuss over you. Thea is itching to take care of you, let her."

Tommy's eyes darted to Felicity who was still engrossed with Oliver's cell, "I don't think I can leave her."

Oliver brushed his thumbs across Tommy's pronounced cheekbones, "She's fine. I won't let her out of my sight."

Tommy took hold of Oliver's hands and then slid them up his arms towards his shoulders. He pulled on Oliver until their foreheads touched and he whispered, "Ollie, I thought she was going to die and that we were going to lose her."

Felicity walked on her knees to the end up the bed and wrapped her arms around Tommy's neck, "If I promise to behave and stay in the hospital, will you go to Thea's and get a good night's sleep?"

"I don't think I can sleep without you," Tommy pressed a kiss to her lips. "I promise, I'll think about sleeping at Thea's tomorrow night."

Felicity looked up at Oliver, "Sorry that's two to one. Tommy's staying."

Oliver ran a hand over his head, "I'm glad some things never change. I'm never going to win an argument with you two." He kissed Tommy and then Felicity, "I'll go see if I can find a nurse to put your I.V. back in and ask for a cot."

Felicity waved him off, "Please, I can do this blindfolded. I'm sure there's another one in one of those drawers."

Oliver grimaced, "Humor me and allow an actual medical professional to get you hooked up."

Felicity was about to argue with him and point out every time she'd begged him to go to the doctor to treat an injury and he'd refused, when she saw the look of concern on his face the fight went out of her, "Fine."

An hour later, Felicity was hooked back up to her I.V. after she received a stern lecture from a very disgruntled nurse. Tommy was snoring softly on a cot by the window. Oliver was in bed with Felicity and she was tucked into his side. She was scrolling through his phone, thrilled to have technology back in her hands. He'd ignored every software update in her absence and she was attempting to download the latest security version when she received an error message, "What do you have on here? You're practically out of memory?" Felicity sorted through the settings, "Who have you been texting to use up so much memory?"

"You," Oliver held her tighter. "I texted you while you were gone."

"Oh," Felicity found his thread to her and began to search for the start of his messages. "Oliver there are thousands of messages."

He shrugged, "I missed you and I had a lot to say."

Felicity began to read his messages with the sound of his steady heart beneath her ear and his soothing hand on her back. The messages started out very practical. He was working under the assumption that she would find a way to get her hands on some technology and she'd hack her own phone. He was giving her advice on how to determine her location and how to escape from Malcolm. As time passed, his messages became surreal. He was writing to her like she was across town at Applied Sciences. He talked about meetings and his frustration with an investor. He talked about where they should have dinner that night or if he should cook. It was a one sided conversation and she wondered if he imagined her responding. After seven weeks, he became despondent. His messages to her were about how much he  loved her and he missed her and he hoped that she'd read the messages one day. He was angry with Malcolm. He was angry with Waller, but he was mostly angry with himself. As bad as it had been for Tommy and her, being the one left behind was never easy and now Oliver was going to leave them behind.

Felicity lowered Oliver's phone and rolled into his side overcome with emotion. Her arm rested across is chest and she clutched his sweater in her grip, "If I wasn't hooked up to about six machines and wearing a tube up my nose, I'd so be rocking your world right now. I love you."

Oliver tightened his arms around her, "I love you." A smile lit up his face as he traced the side of her face with his finger, "Having you in my arms," he looked over to Tommy, "having you both home, that's all I've wanted."

 

Felicity glared at Dave, her respiratory therapist, as she held her breath with her lips wrapped around the latest device he was torturing her with. Tommy sat in a chair along the side wall of the therapy room, pretending to read something on his tablet. She knew he was pretending because he kept stealing glances when he didn't think she was looking and the angrier she seemed to get, the bigger the grin became on his face.

"Good, Felicity," Dave said as he removed the device from her mouth, "you are doing much better."

She didn't care about doing much better, she wanted him to tell her that she could go home. It had been two weeks since she and Tommy had been returned to Starling and they were running out of time to help Oliver get out of his noble, but bone-headed commitment to Ra's. "Good, I'll be home in time for dinner."

"Nice try," Dave said with infuriatingly good humor, "but, it's going to be at least another week before the doc is going to sign your release." He squeezed Felicity's shoulder, "Don't give up, you're really doing better." He waved to Tommy, "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dave." Tommy waited for Dave to leave the room before he turned to Felicity, "He's only trying to help. You don't have to melt him with your laser eyes."

She narrowed her eyes on Tommy, "Trust me, if I was using my laser eyes on anyone, it was you."

Tommy laughed as he held out his hand and helped her to her feet, "I'm sorry, I can't help it. You're so adorable when you're mad, especially when you're not angry with me."

Felicity grabbed the handle of her portable oxygen tank and began to wheel it behind her. She was tired of everyone expecting her to be in good humor. Yes, she was grateful to be alive and back home, but she didn't have time to waste in a hospital. Tommy caught up to her at the elevators, but remained silent. Once they were alone in the elevator on the way to her floor she rounded on him, "Thirteen days. We have thirteen days before he runs off to be a ninja and we never see him again. Sara isn't returning my phone calls. Your father remains infuriatingly off the radar. The wifi in here is terrible and the connection isn't strong enough for me to do what I want to do with my remote computers. I can't be in here another day, I can't do it."

"I know you're frustrated and you want to be out of here, but you're hearing everything the doctors are telling us. You can't leave until they're sure your lungs aren't going to fill up with fluid again," when they arrived on her floor he held the elevator door open for an elderly couple to get on.

Felicity didn't wait for Tommy and went straight to her room, ignoring the nurses who called out in greeting. She felt as trapped as she had in her cell in Nanda Parbat. Her new jailors were well meaning but they were still keeping her against her will. Oliver and Tommy would never let her leave the hospital against medical advice and it wasn't like she could hide from them if she waited for the rare moment when she was alone to slip away. She needed her computers at home, the foundry or Applied Science - not exactly secret locations, well at least not secret from the people who would be looking for her. She let out a squeak of surprise to find a visitor waiting for her, "Oliver, what are you doing here?"

Tommy seemed less surprised to find Oliver waiting for them, "Now's not the right time, buddy."

"Did something happen in therapy?" Oliver moved towards Felicity from his perch against the window.

"No, therapy was fine. I'm just a little stir crazy about being stuck in here." Felicity eyed Oliver suspiciously as he nervously rubbed his fingers together. Tommy's words of caution to Oliver had her on high alert, "So, what is now not the right time for?"

Oliver gestured to the bed and waited for Felicity to sit down, "I need to talk to you about something."

Felicity looked over to Tommy for reassurance, but his face looked as grim as Oliver's, "Why do I feel like this is going to be worse than you leaving to join the League?"

Oliver rubbed his hands over his head and face, "Felicity, I love you."

She shot a sideways look at Tommy who was busy studying the floor before narrowing her eyes at Oliver, "I love you too."

Oliver let out a sigh and pulled a blue velvet box from his jacket pocket and placed it in her hands, "I know this isn't ideal -"

The look she gave him stopped him in mid sentence. With shaking hands and a racing heart she opened the velvet box to find what she feared to find. Moira's engagement ring from Robert twinkled at her in the fluorescent lights of her room. Felicity snapped the lid shut and inhaled deeply from her nasal cannula as she tried to quiet her thoughts and her anger.

"Say something," Oliver said barely above a whisper.

Felicity let out a bitter laugh, "Oliver, you really don't want me to say something because if I say something we may never speak to one another again."

"Felicity, we have to make plans to explain my disappearance. The least complicated explanation would be my death, but my death will bring about a host of legal and financial consequences. If I'm married when I die, it will make things less complicated."

Felicity tossed the box to Tommy, "Same sex marriage is legal in our state now. Ask Tommy to make faking your death less complicated. He can be your widower."

Tommy rolled the box around in his hand, "We discussed it, but we're not out and everyone already believes you're together. With Oliver gone, the board will need to name a new CEO. They'll never put a Merlyn in charge. The board knows you. They trust you. It needs to be you that Oliver marries."

Felicity could feel her temper rising, "Well, that's lucky for me. We've found a loophole for me to marry both of you. How long do I have to wait after you fake your death and I take over QC before I marry Tommy in this little fantasy of yours?"

"Felicity, please, be reasonable," Oliver recognized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Reasonable?" Felicity really wished she was at home because she needed space from Tommy and Oliver before she said something she'd regret. She needed to slam a door and put distance between them, but instead, she was trapped in a hospital room where she had to keep her voice low if she didn't want all of Starling to read about this fight in the morning paper. She folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to stop them from shaking. "Why now?" she said angrily. "You risk your life every night and you've never worried before about legal and financial complications."

Oliver cautiously stepped closer to her until he was close enough to take her hands, "Because every night when I go out there I plan on coming home. I'm not coming home this time."

Felicity blinked back her tears and wrenched her hands free of his, "No, we're not doing this. I'm so angry at the two of you right now that I don't even have the words to tell you how furious I am with you. How could you think that I'd agree to this? I'm not even talking about the marriage part of this ridiculous plan. I'm not going to help you fake your death because you're not joining the League."

He knelt before her and ran his hands up her legs, "Felicity, we are doing everything we can to get me out of the deal with Ra's, but we need to have a contingency plan if I have to go."

"Fine, let's make a contingency plan that doesn't consist of us getting married and then faking your death," Felicity took a deep breath and felt more confident. They just needed a plan that didn't end with her burying an empty coffin.

Oliver dropped his head to her knees, "Tell me a solution that doesn't involve you having to pretend to be me, while you're being you. Eventually, they will figure out that I'm not just skiing in the Alps or laying on a beach in Tahiti." He looked up at her and tried to smile, "They'll eventually think the two of you conspired to get rid of me and arrest you for murder."

Felicity couldn't believe that he was that oblivious to how close he was actually coming to being strangled by her, "That might still happen." Felicity ran her fingers through his hair, "I was able to convince everyone that I was you for the five months you were back on Lian Yu."

"It might be a lot longer than five months this time. Plus, now I'm the CEO. I can't just disappear on an indefinite vacation."

Felicity chewed on her lip. He was right. When he went to Lian Yu he didn't actually have any real responsibilities at QC. If he disappeared now, it would seem suspicious, "What if we turn you into Howard Hughes?"

Oliver looked to Tommy for help. Tommy sighed and sat down next to Felicity, "Do you actually think we can turn Oliver into a paranoid recluse in two weeks? No one will buy that either."

Felicity knew that Tommy was right. They didn't have enough time to turn Oliver into an eccentric billionaire, but she still wasn't prepared to have him declared dead, "If we fake your death, how do we bring you home when we figure out how to do that?"

Oliver sighed, "Okay, what if I file a flight plan and just disappear over the Pacific. If we find a way to get me out, I can be discovered on an uninhabited island."

"A two time castaway. The media will love it," Tommy said in an attempt to break the tension.

Felicity was willing to entertain a presumed dead cover story. They didn't need to go to court and have him declared dead. If they did nothing, he'd be declared dead after seven years, but she didn't intend him to be in Ra's clutches for seven seconds let alone seven years, "I can live with that, but I still won't marry you. The board can still name me CEO without a marriage license."

Oliver took the velvet box from Tommy, "They'd prefer a Queen at the helm," and placed the box in her hand, "just think about it."

Felicity saw an opportunity to get something that she wanted, "I'll consider it if you can convince the doctors to let us hire a private nurse and let me go home. We can put a hospital bed in the living room and set up all these machines to beep and annoy me. We can come to the hospital once a day for my treatments and therapy with Dave, but the rest of the time I can be home with my computers being useful, so we don't need to put this scheme into motion." She looked between both of her men, hoping to see at least of one of them excited by her idea.

Tommy rubbed his eyes and for a moment Felicity felt guilty. The sores on his hands and feet had begun to scab over and he'd gained five pounds, but his cheeks were still hollow and his eyes were sunken and tired looking. Despite his promise to start sleeping at Thea's, Tommy had spent every night at the hospital with her. Tommy sat down next to her and she allowed him to pull her hand into his lap, "I know that you feel like you're being held prisoner and you feel helpless that you're not able to help Ollie more than you are, but, Felicity, we need you to get strong."

Felicity picked up her tablet and began to check on the searches she had started before her session with Dave. Without looking up she informed them of the conditions of her blackmail, "If you want me to become Felicity Queen, then you better figure out a way to get me out of here today."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> I've actually begun working on two new installments for the series based on requests and ideas provided by you. Please feel free to share what else you'd like to read in this universe.
> 
> Coming Up Next Time - We are going to catch up with chapter one.


	9. Smile, Even Though Your Heart Is Breaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is finally home, but it isn't all rainbows and unicorns, it's more like lightning and kangaroos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I apologize for the delay in posting Wednesday's installment. I've been under the weather all week, but I'm feeling much better.
> 
> I continue to be amazed by everyone's kind and passionate response to this fic and the series - thank you. I appreciate each and every one of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. Your responses always help to keep me motivated.
> 
> Happy belated birthday to thatblondelady.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

It had been nearly three months since Felicity had been home and her skin rippled with excitement as Oliver lifted her from the car and carried her up the front steps to their home. The front door opened before they reached the top step to reveal Tommy leaning against the doorway with an easy grin and his finger looped through Hildy's collar. Oliver set Felicity down once they were in the foyer and Tommy greeted her with a kiss. Hildy was practically bouncing in place as she whimpered for Tommy to release her. Felicity removed her nasal cannula and handed it and her portable oxygen tank to Oliver.

Felicity sank to her knees in front of Hildy, "Hi sweetie, did you miss me?" Their overgrown puppy collided with Felicity and knocked her onto her bottom. Once Felicity was seated on the floor, their ninety pound dog sat in her lap and began to lick her face. Felicity wrapped her arms around Hildy's neck and burrowed her face into the soft red fur. She felt her eyes well with tears as she inhaled the familiar smell that was her dog and felt overwhelming gratitude that she'd finally made it home. She pulled away to scratch Hildy's ears and laughed with delight when her dog resumed licking her face and neck, "My sweet girl, your mommy missed you so much."

Hildy's head popped up and she scrambled off of Felicity's lap and disappeared down the hall towards the kitchen. Tommy pulled Felicity to her feet, "Let's get you settled."

Felicity headed towards the stairs, "I can't wait for a real shower."

Oliver laced his fingers through hers and gently tugged her towards the living room, "Nice try, but we've set you up in the living room."

"No shower?" Felicity was dismayed, "The living room?"

"I think we can manage a shower in a little bit, but right now we need to get you settled in," Oliver opened the living room's pocket door.

Hildy bounded into the living room with her soccer ball in her mouth. She dropped it at Felicity's feet and sat down eagerly with her tail thumping against the hard wood. Felicity laughed, "Did Aunt Thea and Uncle Roy not play soccer with you while I was gone?" Felicity shifted the ball with her foot and kicked it down the long hallway and into the kitchen. It took a second for Hildy's paws to gain traction before she was able to give chase.

"Felicity," Oliver admonished reflexively, "no soccer in the house. She's scratching up the floors."

Tommy cleared his throat and leaned between his lovers and whispered, "You do realize that you're slowly turning into Moira?"

Oliver glared at Tommy and Felicity did her best to look contrite, but she couldn't help but smile. It was nice to have a familiar domestic argument as simple as not allowing their giant dog to run around the inside of the house with a large ball, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Oliver grinned, "That's okay."

Noticing a man about her age dressed in blue scrubs standing next to a hospital bed, Felicity put on a smile, "Hello, I'm Felicity Smoak and I'll be your patient."

The young man smiled brightly, "Welcome home, Felicity. I'm Peter Papadopoulos," he extended his right hand, "I'll be your nurse."

Felicity took his hand, "It's very nice to meet you." As she craned her neck up to look at him she realized that he was bigger than Dig, "God, your huge," she could feel herself turning beet red even as she continued to squeeze his  bicep, "I mean muscle big. Were you in the military or are these muscles from lifting patients?"

Peter laughed, "Dig and Lyla weren't exaggerating about your babbling."

Felicity narrowed her eyes at Peter, "You know Dig and Lyla?"

Peter pulled out a bag of saline and hung it from the I.V. pole, "I'm with A.R.G.U.S. I work as a trauma field nurse."

She slowly counted to ten as she tried not to completely lose her temper in front of a complete stranger. Oliver hadn't arranged for a nurse, he'd made an unknown deal with a devil in Louboutin shoes for a prison guard who was trained to administer meds while keeping her contained. Felicity took in all of the hospital equipment and immediately felt tense, "I appreciate everything that you've set up here, but I'm going to be sleeping in my own bed, upstairs."

The smile on Peter's face didn't waiver, "Ms. Smoak, I've been warned by your doctors, respiratory therapist, nurses and your friends that you're a difficult patient and that you've been released against medical advice. I'm here to make sure you get healthy and back to your normal routine as quickly as possible. I will not play games with your health. The moment I think you're compromising your recovery, I will have you transferred back to the hospital so fast you'll think I changed the laws of physics. Do you understand?"

The last thing Felicity needed was to make Peter an enemy and have to constantly worry about being sent back. She'd have to lay on the charm, "Understood. I'm right where I want to be. I won't cause you any trouble."

"Excellent. Let's get you into bed so I can check your vitals and get you hooked up." Peter held his hands out, "I'll take that from you."

Oliver handed Felicity's oxygen tank over, "We're going to make tea while you're getting settled."

 _Cowards,_ she thought to herself as her boyfriends looked to escape her line of fire. "Oliver, Tommy," Felicity smiled tightly, "may I speak to you in the hall for a moment."

Both men looked like they were being escorted to face a firing squad when they followed her into the hall and she closed the door behind them. She quickly rounded on Oliver, "Are you freaking kidding me? An A.R.G.U.S. agent? You've turned our home into a prison."

Oliver took a deep breath, "You need a nurse and I need someone who can keep you safe in case the League makes an unscheduled appearance." He stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "You wanted to come home." Oliver shot a worried look at Tommy, "This is the only way acceptable for us to have you home."

She looked at Tommy accusingly, "Where's your A.R.G.U.S. bodyguard?"

"I wish my bodyguard was from A.R.G.U.S, I've got Harper running around after me." He held up his hand, palm down, near Felicity's head, "He's barely taller than you and he's protecting me. It's not very good for my ego."

"Fine," she put her hand on the living room door, "but if you think that this is the way to persuade me to marry you, think again."

Felicity sat on the edge of the bed and removed her sweater. She'd worn a pair of pajamas home from the hospital with the plan that she'd go right to bed. Hildy returned to the room with her soccer ball. Spotting Felicity on the bed, she jumped up and made three small circles on the foot of the bed before she laid down and rested her jaw on the soccer ball. She watched Felicity with baleful eyes as Peter took her vitals and hooked her back up to all of the monitors and I.V. Once Felicity was settled against her pillows, Hildy crawled towards the head of the bed. She rolled onto her side so that her back was pressed against Felicity's side and her head was resting on Felicity's shoulder. Felicity smiled and began to rub Hildy's belly. "Who's a good girl?" Hildy's tail thumped against the mattress, "That's right, you are." As she slowly drifted to sleep with her softly snoring dog in her arms and the sound of Tommy and Oliver laughing in the kitchen she knew that she'd finally made it home.

 

The moment he stepped through the front door, Tommy knew something wasn't right. He could feel the tension in the air before he even heard Felicity's loud voice coming from the living room. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but whatever she was angry about, Oliver was definitely getting an earful.  Which was why he was surprised to find a red-faced Felicity yelling at Peter, not Oliver, when he stepped into the room.

"Felicity," his tone more like a parent's than a lover's, "what's going on?"

"He," Felicity pointed an accusatory finger at her nurse, "took my tablet."

"Mr. Merlyn," the nurse turned his back on Felicity, "I was hired to make sure that Ms. Smoak makes as complete a recovery at home as she would've in the hospital. I cannot make that happen if she refuses to sleep and obsesses over her tablet. Video games aren't restful and above almost everything, sleep is the most crucial to her recovery."

Tommy rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger as he tried to remember why he took Felicity's side and convinced Oliver to let her come home under the supervision of a nurse. He smiled apologetically at Peter, "Would you mind giving us a minute?" He held out his hand and the nurse placed Felicity's tablet in it.

"I'll go prepare your evening medication," he said with a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Don't try to sneak a sleeping pill in there," Felicity shouted at Peter's retreating back, "I know what they look like."

Tommy slid the pocket door closed and took a deep breath to settle his own temper. When he turned to face her he was shocked that she didn't seem remotely abashed by her own behavior, "What the hell was that all about?"

"I closed my eyes for all of five minutes and he had the nerve to take away my tablet," Felicity seethed.

"In fairness to the man who is trying to keep you alive, he thinks you're playing Candy Crush on this all day and night," Tommy placed her tablet in her lap. Felicity rolled her eyes as she unlocked her tablet and returned to whatever she was working on before she'd fallen asleep.

He sat on the foot of her bed and asked, "Where's Ollie? He said he was going to stay with you tonight while I ran out."

Without looking up from her tablet Felicity responded, "He took Hildy for a walk." When he rested his hand on her knee, she finally looked up at him, "I thought you were going to Verdant."

"I did," Tommy said, which was a half-truth. He'd gone to Verdant, but only to get into the Foundry basement.

"Dressed like that?" Felicity eyed him suspiciously. Tommy never went to work in jeans and a sweater.

Tommy shrugged, "All of my suits are too big on me. I look like a kid playing dress up in his dad's clothes."

All of the fight seemed to drain out of Felicity at once. She opened her arms and he crawled up the bed to lay in them. He rested his head over her heart and Felicity lightly scratched through his hair which was finally getting long enough to tug on. "There is still no sign of your father or of Sara and Nyssa. I'm starting to think that we need to come up with Plan B."

Tommy's eyes felt heavy as Felicity's fingers soothed the tension from him, "We do have a Plan B, you're just not cooperating."

Felicity's fingers stilled, "Marrying Oliver isn't Plan B, it's Plan Z - no, it isn't even a plan."

"It is a plan," Tommy traced a random design on the small amount of belly showing between her tank top and pajama bottoms.

"It isn't a plan to save Oliver," Felicity said indignantly, "it's a plan for the worst case scenario. I won't make dying, real or faked, easy on him. If he's so worried about our future and QC's stability then he should make plans to come home."

Tommy shifted so his head was on her pillow, "You're not being fair. You promised Ollie that if he let you come home, you'd marry him."

"No, I told him that I would consider marrying him. I considered it and my answer is still no."

Tommy sighed as he had a flashback to being in a relationship with a very argumentative attorney. He pulled on Felicity's hip until she was on her side and facing him. He ran his fingers through her blonde curls, "Are you saying no on principle or are you saying no because of me? Because if you are saying no because you're trying to spare my feelings, I want you to know I've made my peace with it." He wasn't instantly supportive of Oliver's idea,  but after a lot of thought and putting aside his own irrational jealousy he realized that it was the best way to protect the Queen legacy.

"Tommy," she rested her hand against his cheek, "can't I say no for both reasons? If I agree to marry Oliver it means that I've given up on trying to keep him with us." She leaned forward and kissed him. When she broke the kiss she stared into his eyes, "If I marry Oliver, that's something we can't undo. It will be something that Oliver and I share that we won't share with you. I won't do that to you or to us."

Tommy knew that Felicity was struggling with the idea of a wedding and a marriage and what that would mean, because neither she nor Oliver would take that commitment lightly, "What if you just look at marrying Oliver like a business arrangement. We can make the ceremony as official and impersonal as possible and you just say, I do, sign a few papers and you're instantly the next CEO of QC and all of Oliver's assets are protected from the tax man."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Your arguments are worse than his. You really want me to see this as a business arrangement right out of the Middle Ages? What's next? A chastity belt and the convent when he's declared dead?"

He groaned, "I really can't argue when you're like this, You're Jewish. Why would I put you in a convent? If I was going to exile you to take over Oliver's money and company, I'd send you to some spa in the Alps without wifi."

"In that case," Felicity poked him hard in the stomach, "you might as well send me to Nanda Parbat as his concubine."

A gulp from the doorway redirected Tommy and Felicity's attention to Oliver and Hildy. Oliver looked nervous and pointed his thumb over his shoulder, "I'm going to make sure there's water in her bowl and I really don't want to be part of this conversation."

"Hey," Tommy said sitting up, "I'm trying to convince our girlfriend to be your wife. I'm done trying to sell her on the idea. It's your turn." Tommy got off the bed, "I'll go make sure there is water in Hildy's bowl."

Oliver watched Tommy and Hildy walk down the hall towards the kitchen. He practically shuffled over to Felicity's side. He looked guilty as he sat facing her and took her hand in his, "I know that you don't want to marry me and I understand why you don't want to do it, but can you please try and look at this from my perspective? If we're married when I leave, I'll have greater peace of mind knowing that everything is taken care of here."

Felicity loved Oliver Queen, but he could be so infuriating when he was being vulnerable. She laced their fingers together, "From the moment I found you in my car, there is nothing more that I've wanted than your peace of mind. I understand why you believe that we have to do this, but I can't, not even to make you happy. Even if I discount what I think this will do to our relationship with Tommy, a marriage is about beginnings, not endings. I'm sorry, but I won't marry you."

 

"Be reasonable?" Felicity asked furiously, "Be reasonable?" She poked her finger against Oliver's wet chest, "And you say that you don't have a death wish."

"I never thought marrying me would be such a burden for you, "Oliver's eyes resembled a wounded animal.

Felicity's fingers returned to jabbing Oliver's chest, "That's not fair. The lawyers have given us a lot of options instead of marriage. You're playing dirty and trying to manipulate me."

"Is it working?" Oliver asked hopefully.

"Oliver," she growled in frustration.

Tommy's fingers began to massage shampoo into her hair and she relaxed her back against his chest, "I thought we were having a shower together to celebrate Felicity no longer being under twenty-four hour medical supervision."

Oliver looked down at his feet, "We are."

"Good," Tommy tilted Felicity's head back to rinse the suds from her hair, "I want to hear more celebrating and less fighting."

Felicity's head popped back up, "We have five days. Five days, Oliver. We need to switch plans."

"No, we're not discussing it," Oliver said sharply, "it's too dangerous."

"Or, we could just go back to fighting," Tommy said under his breath.

"He's dying. He told Tommy and me that he doesn't have long. You'd just be helping him along," Felicity reasoned.

"Can we not discuss murder plots while we're in the shower?" Tommy snapped as he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.

Oliver looked between Tommy and Felicity, torn between who he should placate first. He sighed as he reached for her hand, "You're asking me to kill Ra's al Ghul. He's not that easy to kill. If he were, Malcolm would've killed him already."

"He's just a man, a dying man," Felicity countered.

"Who has been alive for centuries. If I try to kill him and fail, he will come and kill you and Tommy - Thea too." Oliver moved around her and stepped out of the shower.

"He's trying to kill you." Felicity quickly put conditioner on her ends and ran her fingers through the tangles, "If I have to choose between you and Ra's, I choose you." She quickly rinsed off.

"He is making me his heir, not killing me," Oliver held a towel open for her when she stepped out of the shower. "You do realize that if I kill him, I'll be the Demon's Head? I don't see how that helps us."

"I'm sure there is a ritual that turns you into his heir. As long as you kill him before he makes you his heir, Nyssa will be the Demon's Head." Felicity had no idea if any of her reasoning was true, but desperate times called for clutching at straws.

"Do you think that the League is just going to allow me to casually stroll out of Nanda Parbat after I kill Ra's?" Oliver didn't wait for a response and stormed into their bedroom.

"Compared to your plan, my plan seems sane," Felicity huffed after him.

Tommy was already dressed in a pair of sleep pants and sitting on his side of the bed, "It's funny, I don't remember falling in love with the Macbeths." Oliver and Felicity looked at him wide-eyed. Tommy shook his head, "You know - husband and wife plotting to kill the king in order to take the throne." He began to rub his hands together, "Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Felicity opened her mouth to say something and then snapped it shut. Tommy looked too amused with himself and Oliver just looked confused, "First, we're not married and we're not getting married. Second, Ra's is no Duncan and Oliver has no desire to take over the League," She locked eyes with Oliver, "You don't, do you?"

Oliver sat heavily on the end of the bed, exhaustion marring every feature, "Of course not. I don't want to have anything to do with the League and there is nothing that I'd like to do more than to end the man who nearly killed the two of you, but if I have any chance of getting out, I'm going to need to gain Ra's trust first."

Felicity began to pace, "How long is that going to take? A month? Six? A year? Ten? Twenty? This is our life, Oliver."

"I know that," Oliver shouted. "Don't you know that I'd do anything not to leave you?" Oliver reached for her, "Please, Felicity. I don't want to fight with you."

Felicity stepped away from him, "I'm sorry, but I won't ever stop fighting for us." She grabbed her pajamas from the dresser and her tablet, "I'm not tired," and then walked out of their room.

She changed into her pajamas in the dark of their kitchen. Fat tears ran down her face. She hated fighting with Oliver and Tommy. It always made her feel like she was adrift at sea when the three of them weren't in alignment. The last thing she wanted was to be angry with Oliver when they had so few days left together. Her fantasy for their first time together in three months involved a lot more whispered words of love and caresses than angry words and slammed doors.

Felicity sat down on her stool across from the range and began to cry. For the two months she'd been held prisoner in Nanda Parbat she'd dreamed about sitting on her stool watching her guys cook as she sipped wine and they talked about everything and nothing. More than anywhere, their kitchen felt like home to her and she could feel it slipping away from her. When they'd been kidnapped she'd hoped that they'd make it home and they'd all be together, but if Oliver left, he'd be taking all of her hope with him. It was impossible for her to imagine living in their home as she waited for Oliver to return. No matter what he told them about moving on without him, she knew that he was asking the impossible from her and Tommy.

Tommy walked into the kitchen and turned the overhead lights on. He slid the dimmer switch until the kitchen was bathed in a soft yellow light. He opened the fridge, "Eggs or waffles?"

"What?" Felicity rubbed her eyes to remove any trace of tears.

Tommy turned to look at her, "I'm starving, but I can't make up my mind what I'm craving more - eggs or waffles."

"How about both?" Oliver suggested as he walked into the kitchen and joined Tommy in front of the refrigerator.

Tommy's face lit up in a smile and he kissed Oliver in thanks, "Excellent idea. I'll make the waffles, you make the eggs."

The guys began to pull ingredients from the fridge and cabinets. Tommy pulled out a wine glass and filled it with sparkling water and a slice of lemon. He slid it in front of Felicity with a wink.

Felicity smiled at his gesture and closed her tablet. Her hack into A.R.G.U.S. to get whatever intelligence she could on Ra's and Malcolm would wait until morning. She planned on spending the rest of her evening living her dream and postponing their painful reality.

 

They were out of time. Felicity had failed to find Malcolm or Sara and Oliver refused to entertain her idea to assassinate Ra's immediately. Tommy was at home, refusing to sit a 'death watch' in the Foundry basement. Roy had vanished several hours ago after giving Oliver a hug.

Oliver was sitting with Dig at the back of the Foundry. She knew that John was trying to convince Oliver to let him accompany him as far as Nanda Parbat. She also knew that Oliver would never let John go with him. Ever since the birth of Dig's daughter, Grace, Oliver had been hesitant to put his friend in harm's way.

Felicity sat staring at her monitor, willing an idea that would save Oliver to pop into her head. What good was having a genius IQ if she couldn't think of a way to help the man she loved?

Oliver cleared his throat behind her, "We need to head home if I'm going to be able to hitch a ride with A.R.G.U.S."

Felicity muttered under her breath about Amanda Waller. The only thing the woman had actually assisted with was getting Oliver a flight to Nanda Parbat and in Felicity's opinion, a flight wasn't overly helpful.

His hand landed gently on her shoulder, "Please, Felicity. Come home with me? I need you and Tommy to help me say good-bye."

She stood up from her chair, forcing him to take a step backwards, "I won't do it. I won't smile as you leave. You're making the wrong choice."

Oliver hung his head, "I'm so tired of this fight. I'm making the only choice that keeps all of you alive. I'm asking you to come home with me, one last time."

"I love you, Oliver," Felicity smiled sadly.

Oliver's shoulders relaxed in relief, "I love you." He stepped towards her, but she stepped out of reach, "Felicity," he said with a broken voice.

"You're breaking my heart," Felicity cried.

Oliver pulled her into his arms and began to press kisses all over her face and neck. His lips ghosted over her ear, "I will always love you. Please, forgive me." Before she could respond, he pulled away, grabbed his messenger bag and disappeared out the side door into the night.

Felicity sank back into her chair. She was completely numb and at a complete loss for what she should do next. She rarely failed and this failure to protect Oliver and their life with Tommy had knocked the wind out of her.

She didn't hear Dig approach and jumped when he knelt by her side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "As a rule, I don't give unsolicited advice, but I'm going to give you some. I love you, Felicity. If you don't go home and make peace with Oliver, it will haunt you for the rest of your life. You love one another. You deserve better than what Malcolm and Ra's have dealt you, but he is about to face a lifetime of cruelty. Doesn't Oliver deserve more from you than what he will get from Ra's?" Dig stood and kissed the top of her head, "Go, while there is still time."

"Dig," she called out to him as she quickly rose from her chair and grabbed her purse. He stopped a few feet from her and she launched herself into his arms. She left a bright red lipstick mark on his cheek, "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you." She ran out into the night after Oliver and hoped that she wasn't already too late.

 

The sound of a key in the front door set Tommy into motion. He ran for the front closet and shoved the duffle bag, socks and hiking boots that he was carrying inside. He moved to stand in front of the front door to greet Oliver and Felicity. He took a deep breath as he tried to clear his mind. Tommy couldn't afford to allow Oliver to become suspicious of what he had planned. He'd spent the past four weeks in complete guilt as he failed to share what he knew about his father's whereabouts. Tommy had agonized if he should tell Oliver where he could find Malcolm, but had decided that of the two evils Oliver was facing, Ra's seemed to be the lesser evil. He knew that his dad wouldn't hesitate to kill Oliver and it seemed that Ra's needed Oliver alive, so there really wasn't any choice for Tommy to make. Oliver would never have allowed Tommy to confront his father without him, so he had to wait for Oliver to leave Starling. He'd allow Oliver to travel to Nanda Parbat and he'd be free to hunt his father down.

Oliver stepped inside with a stone face and rigid shoulders. When he saw Tommy waiting for him his features softened and he looked relieved, "I thought you wouldn't be here."

Tommy's heart broke at the thought that Oliver could think that he wouldn't wait forever for him, "Of course, I'm here." Tommy was surprised when Oliver shut the door behind him, "Wait, where's Felicity?"

Oliver squeezed Tommy's hand as he walked past him towards the stairs, "She's not coming."

"Not coming?" Tommy followed Oliver up the stairs, "What do you mean she's not coming?"

Oliver froze on the top stair, "She said she won't watch me leave."

"Oliver," Tommy's hand landed softly on the center of Oliver's back, "she's hurting. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Tommy's words propelled Oliver forward and into their bedroom, "She's not the only one who is hurting." Oliver tossed his messenger bag on their bed.

"She blames herself," Tommy said quietly, "we both do."

Oliver spun around, "This isn't either of your faults."

"I know," Tommy rested his hand over Oliver's heart, "it's my dad's, but if you didn't love me, he wouldn't have been able to use you."

Oliver clasped his hands behind Tommy's neck and pulled him in until their foreheads were touching, "I would make the same decision today knowing everything I know. I love you and I will never regret that."

Tommy's eyes filled with tears, "I love you." He captured Oliver's mouth in a searing and hungry kiss. Their hands frantically pulled at each other's shirts as they sought bare skin. Oliver pressed Tommy against the wall near their closet. Oliver dropped his mouth to Tommy's throat, "I don't know how to let you go. I've lived life with you and without you - with you is so much better."

Oliver's lips stilled and he shifted so he was looking Tommy in the eye, "This time, there will be nothing left unspoken between us. No wondering about what ifs and regrets over should've." Oliver smiled and traced a finger along Tommy's cheek, "This time I'm leaving knowing that you know that I'm in love with you and that you're in love with me. You have no idea what a gift that is."

Tommy held Oliver's hand against his face, "I know it gave me strength when I was being held by Ra's. It gave me something to fight to come home to. Promise me, that you'll fight to come home to me."

"I promise, that I will do whatever I can to come home, but Tommy, I don't know if it will be enough." Oliver brushed his lips against Tommy's, "I need you to promise me that you won't wait for me to live your life. I need to know that you and Felicity are living your lives together and that you're loving one another and making each other happy. It will be the only way I'll be able to survive."

Hot tears fell from Tommy's eyes. He didn't know if it were possible to be happy without Oliver in his life, but Oliver was right, this time was different. This time Tommy would know that Oliver was alive and if Oliver was alive there was always hope. "I promise," he smiled through his tears and kissed Oliver like it was the last time.

The sound of the front door slamming broke them apart. Tommy wiped the tears from Oliver's eyes and Oliver did the same for him, "I told you she'd come."

Oliver pulled away and disappeared into their closet. Tommy rested against the wall and wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to keep himself from flying apart.

 

A jolt of turbulence jarred Oliver awake. He'd been dreaming about the vacation he took with Tommy and Felicity for Tommy's thirtieth birthday. He unzipped his coat and retrieved the photo of the three of them he'd taken from their bedroom. His finger traced across Tommy and Felicity's faces as he remembered his dream. They'd been lying on the outdoor daybed watching the sunset, a tangle of sun kissed limbs. He'd been completely at peace and truly happy surrounded by the two loves of his life. If he could live in one moment for the rest of his life, it would be that sunset.

The plane jolted again and a voice came over the intercom, "Ten minutes to the drop site. Prepare for jump."

Oliver returned the photo to his pocket and zipped his coat closed. He put on his chute and hooked himself onto the jump line at the rear of the plane. He looked around the empty plane and allowed himself a moment of self pity as he tried to reconcile how he'd gone from having everything he ever wanted to being all alone as he prepared to join the League. He wondered if the plane was the same one Waller had shoved him out of all those years ago for a mission that ended successfully for A.R.G.U.S. but at the cost of too many innocent lives. He remembered falling through the air towards Lian Yu and being so afraid of returning that he'd contemplated not opening the chute. He'd been without hope then and he now worried if the hope he had was a dangerous luxury that could cost him everything.

The alarm sounded and Oliver watched the clock count down the seconds until he needed to jump. His eyes didn't waiver from the clock as the back cargo ramp lowered and revealed the moon reflecting off the snow covered mountains surrounding Nanda Parbat. He took several deep breaths before he took off at a run and his feet left the deck as the clock struck zero. He fell for what seemed to be somewhere between seconds and forever. Images of the life he had in Starling City flashed in front of his eyes as he watched his altimeter for the moment he needed to pull the cord. When his parachute was deployed and his descent was more like floating than falling he pulled the photo back out of his jacket. He held the picture tightly and squinted to make out Tommy and Felicity's face in the darkness. If he was going to survive Ra's al Ghul and the League, he needed to let everything go. He needed to become the cold-blooded killer who had returned to Starling City after five years of exile. Oliver took one last look at the photo and opened his fingers. The wind pulled the photo out into the darkness and Oliver could feel his heart harden and his mind detach. He was no longer Oliver Queen. He was the Heir to the Demon and he would do whatever it took to survive and go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> We've finally caught up to chapter one.
> 
> Coming Up Next Time - Tommy confronts Malcolm.


	10. Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Nyssa finally arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I continue to be amazed by everyone's kind and passionate response to this fic and the series - thank you. I appreciate each and every one of you who took the time to leave kudos and comments. Your responses to the last chapter helped to keep me on track to get my updates back on schedule.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

Felicity sat in front of her monitors in the foundry and willed them to tell her something. Tommy had been gone for thirty-six hours. She was desperately playing a game of catch-up. The QC jet had landed in Cancun, Mexico. Tommy had cleared customs, but he'd disappeared from there. There wasn't any activity on any of his credit cards or bank accounts. There hadn't been another hit on his passport. Every server she had was running facial recognition software across the globe. He couldn't stay hidden forever and when he popped up she'd find him. Once she found him, after she kissed him and told him that she loved him, he was going to experience her loud voice for a record breaking length of time.

Felicity picked up the phone the team used to communicate with Sara. She knew she was being ridiculous, but she sent another S.O.S. text anyway. If Sara was able to communicate, she would've by then, but sending the thousands of texts into the ether had been oddly comforting, if futile.

The door leading to the club opened, revealing Dig. He walked over to her desk and knelt at her side, "Let me take you home. You need to sleep."

She shook her head, "I can't sleep."

Dig squeezed her shoulder, "You're still recovering from pneumonia and the doctors warned you of the danger of relapse. Please let me take care of you."

She placed her hand over his, "I love that you want to take care of me, but I'm taking all of my meds, I'm doing the nebulizer, so there's no reason for me to relapse."

Dig sighed, "I know that you miss them and that you're worried about them, but dropping from exhaustion won't help you find them."

"Miss them?" Felicity laughed, "I'm too angry to miss them. I'm too angry to sleep. If they were standing there, I'd probably drive an arrow through a soft fleshy spot."

"What bone-headed thing did Ollie do now?" Sara asked as she stepped out of the shadows with Nyssa at her side.

"Sara," Felicity launched herself at the blonde assassin, "what are you doing here?"

Sara laughed as she hugged her back, "You tell me. I got about five thousand texts from you. What's going on?" Sara pulled back, but held onto Felicity's arm, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look terrible."

"Is there a right way to take it?" Felicity teased.

"Have you been ill?" Sara looked over her head to Diggle, "Has she been ill?"

Felicity took a deep breath, "Malcolm tried to blackmail us, but we blackmailed him instead. He convinced Ra's al Ghul to use Tommy to clear his blood debt. Ra's had me kidnapped for reasons that aren't entirely clear. I got pneumonia and nearly died. Needless to say, my Yelp review for the dungeons of Nanda Parbat was scathing. Oliver traded his life for Tommy's but Ra's didn't want him dead, he wants him as his heir. Oliver left to join the League so Ra's wouldn't kill Tommy and me. Tommy's gone, who knows where, looking for Malcolm."

Sara and Nyssa stared at her open mouthed. Nyssa was the first to find her voice, "My father has named Oliver Queen the Heir of the Demon?"

"I'm sure that Oliver feels really bad about it, especially since you're the Heir of the Demon and the fact that he doesn't want to be," Felicity offered in way of an apology.

"Nyssa," Sara said with concern as her girlfriend turned away from them. "I knew that I should have left on my own. He's doing this because he doesn't trust you anymore."

Nyssa grabbed hold of Sara's hand, "He gave me no choice - we had to leave. He's become dangerous and unpredictable."

Dig folded his arms across his chest, "I take it there is more to this than Ra's naming Oliver his heir?"

Nyssa spoke softly, "Yes, when a living heir is replaced, the new heir is required to kill the old one so that there is no question of succession."

"So, Oliver and you need to fight to the death?" Felicity asked with alarm. She knew that any organization with assassin in its name would have to have traditions that included fights to the death.

"Yes," Nyssa agreed, "and it will mean my death. Oliver is the superior fighter."

"Well, that's ridiculous. Oliver won't agree to kill you," Felicity looked to Dig for confirmation.

"I'm sorry, Felicity, but the man you love is surely gone or will be shortly. My father will use hallucinogens and torture to break Oliver until he is an empty vessel he can fill with his own ideology," Nyssa said sympathetically.

"Oliver is the strongest man I know. He will resist brainwashing," Dig placed a reassuring hand on Felicity's shoulder.

"Let's worry about that in a minute. Nyssa, other than death by combat, is there any other way to solve for two living heirs?" Any group that had blood debts and arcane rules on succession planning had to have loopholes.

Nyssa wrinkled her nose, "If Oliver and I were to wed, our union would unite the factions."

Felicity and Sara looked at one another. Oliver and Nyssa getting married was a solution that neither of them liked. "Well," Felicity sighed, "I guess that's better than one of you dead."                                                                                      

Nyssa shook her head, "Even if we were to marry, Oliver would still be the heir and unable to return to you."

"Is there anyway Oliver can name you the heir once you're married? Felicity asked hopefully.

"No, only my father can name his heir," Nyssa picked up one of Oliver's arrows and began to roll it between her fingers, "but if Oliver were Ra's, he could transfer the title of Ra's to me as his wife."

"But for Oliver to be Ra's," Felicity began.

Nyssa turned to Sara excitedly, "This might be the solution to all of our problems." A small smile played across Nyssa's lips, "Yes, we will need to kill my father."

"So, exactlyhow do we get your father to think that marrying you off to Oliver is his idea?" Sara teased, "If you suddenly show up at home eager to marry a man, your father will be suspicious."

Dig folded his arms across his chest, "Your father strikes me as someone who values tradition and blind obedience."

"Two things I have not respected recently," Nyssa informed them.

Sara's hand touched the hilt of Nyssa's sword, "Return this to him and bring me as your prisoner. Tell him you left to chase the traitor and you finally caught up with me. Tell him that you are willing to do anything to prove your loyalty. Offer to marry his new heir so his bloodline will continue and his future grandson can take over the League. It's what he wanted from Talia. Why wouldn't he want it from you?"

Nyssa shook her head, "If I bring you with me, he will execute you."

Sara took hold of Nyssa's hand, "I won't send you to face him alone. What if he believes you stole it, not me? You and two others are the only people your father ever confided in. He knows that the only way I could've learned of its existence would be from you."

"What exactly did you steal?" Dig looked between the two assassins.

Nyssa unscrewed the hilt of her sword and revealed a long vial containing a clear liquid, "It is called the Alpha and Omega virus and he plans on killing off the majority of the population with it in order to save the earth. My father has become unhinged and I stole the virus so he can't enact his plans for a genocide. Sara and I have been running from my father's men. We were coming to you for help to safely destroy the sample."

"Alpha and Omega?" Felicity knew she'd heard the term recently, but she couldn't remember where.

"Felicity?" Dig took hold of her arm, "What are you thinking?"

She suddenly remembered where she'd heard the term, "I think I know what Malcolm had been after five months ago when he ambushed me in the park. He told me to ask Oliver about his time in Hong Kong and the Alpha and Omega virus when he threatened to bring an outbreak to Starling if I didn't help him."

"Did you ask Oliver?" Dig asked hopefully.

Felicity shook her head, "He hates talking about Hong Kong, something terrible happened there."

Dig picked up his jacket, "Looks like it's time I have conversation with Amanda Waller and find out about Oliver's time with A.R.G.U.S. in Hong Kong. Clearly Ra's and Merlyn both want the virus which makes me think that this virus is something we should be destroying instead of hiding in the hilt of a sword."

"Find out if there is a cure to this virus - but don't tell her we have it. I have a feeling Amanda would like to get her hands on it too." Felicity spoke to Dig's retreating back. He lifted his hand in acknowledgement.

"I should call Caitlin and ask her the safest way to destroy biological warfare," Felicity said to herself as she sat in front of her monitors to begin researching safe disposal techniques.

Sara smiled brightly at Felicity, "Now, let's finalize our plans to marry my ex and your current boyfriend to my current girlfriend."

Felicity looked up from her monitor and smiled back, "I guess it's a good thing that I didn't marry Oliver before he left."

 

Tommy's cotton shirt clung to his chest and back. The hot humid air was cloying and oppressive. Less than an hour in Corto Maltese and he was ready to leave. If his father wasn't here, there was Moldovia to investigate next. The longer it took him to find Malcolm, the longer Oliver would be in Ra's clutches.

After the Undertaking, Felicity had helped Tommy access his father's personal computers that Oliver had retrieved from his dad's secret room at Merlyn Global. He'd hoped to find answers. He wanted to understand how his father could so callously murder people who called him friend. How he could blackmail the mother of his child. How he could murder five hundred and three innocent strangers whose only crime was to be poor and to live in the Glades. He wanted to understand why Laurel was dead. His father had told him it was for his mother, but Tommy refused to allow the memory of his mother to be tainted by his father's madness.

Felicity had recovered the data, but didn't look at it. She'd given the only copy to Tommy to do with as he pleased. The computers didn't provide any insight into his father's motivations, but they did provide the location of several real estate holdings in non-extradition countries that were owned by his father through a series of shell corporations. Tommy started his search for his dad in Corto Maltese because it was the property closest to Starling. His dad popped in too frequently for him to be too far away. Tommy hoped his logic was sound because the sooner he found his dad, the sooner he could bring Ollie home.

The sound of a weed whacker drew Tommy's attention to a large Spanish Colonial at the end of a quiet street. A gardener, dressed in white with a large straw hat was edging the emerald green lawn. With a deep breath Tommy stepped onto the walkway that led to the house. He knocked loudly on the large wooden door, "Dad, it's Tommy. I need to speak with you." He knocked again, "Damn it, dad. I know you're there."

The front door opened, revealing a surprised Malcolm, "You are a lot more clever than I ever gave you credit for."

"Well, I am sleeping with a hacker and you did leave behind a poorly encrypted laptop." Tommy gestured at the interior of the house, "May I come in? I think I'm actually melting."

Malcolm stepped aside so Tommy could enter. Tommy dropped his duffle by the door and slowly turned in the large foyer and whistled, "This is some place, dad. I wish I knew about it when I was in college. I could've had some wild parties."

"What do you want, Thomas?" Malcolm circled Tommy warily.

Tommy rocked back on his heels and his eyebrows popped up. "Thomas," he mouthed silently. He always found it amusing when his dad chose not to use his diminutive name. It usually meant he'd caught him off guard. "Can't a son visit his father?"

"Considering that the last time I saw you, you threatened me, your boyfriend punched me and your girlfriend has since emptied my bank accounts, I wasn't really expecting an unannounced visit," Malcolm smirked.

Tommy took another look around the foyer, "Yeah, it really looks like Felicity cut into your lifestyle."

Malcolm smiled at Tommy like he thought he was an idiot, "You know how much I love redundancies. You don't actually think that I would keep all of my money as ones and zeros. I have enough cash, gold and diamonds scattered around the globe that if I never get the money your girlfriend stole from me back, it will matter very little."

"Well, as long as you weren't inconvenienced," Tommy said snidely.

Malcolm smirked, "You don't look well. You've lost weight. Have you been ill?"

Tommy chose not to engage his father and flipped his thumb towards the back of the house, "Kitchen? I could use a glass of water."

Malcolm walked past Tommy towards the back of the house. Tommy removed his hands from his pocket and causally put a hand on his dad's shoulder, "So, what are the taxes like around here? I think Felicity would love a beach house." Tommy squeezed his dad's shoulder and injected him with a tiny dart containing a fast acting sedative. One of the benefits of living with two vigilantes was the unencumbered access to all of their cool toys.

Malcolm's knees immediately gave out. Tommy's first instinct was to catch his father, but thought better of it. He took a step back and received a small sense of satisfaction watching his father collapse onto the tile floor. He dragged his father into the closest room. "Sorry, dad," he lowered Malcolm to the floor, "but it's past time you gave me answers."

Forty five minutes later, Malcolm began to stir and Tommy was ready for him. While his dad was unconscious he tied Malcolm to a chair, just as Oliver had taught him when Slade was terrorizing them. There was no way his dad would be able to slip his bonds. For an added measure, he'd created a noose made of piano wire that was coated in fine glass particles. If Malcolm struggled, he ran the risk of cutting his own neck as the noose tightened every time he moved.

Malcolm's eyes slowly focused on Tommy, "Clearly, I never gave you enough credit. I didn't think you had it in you." Malcolm attempted to shift in his chair and the noose tightened. A thin trickle of blood ran down his neck.

"Careful, dad," Tommy warned, "I wouldn't want you to lose your head before I was done with it."

"You're upset about the kidnapping," Malcolm sounded disappointed.

Tommy laughed. Only his father would think a kidnapping as a minor nuisance, "Yes, dad. I'm upset about the kidnapping. You traded my life for yours."

Malcolm sighed, "Do you think I'd actually risk your life? You were never in any danger."

"The sword Ra's al Ghul held to the back of my neck sure felt dangerous," Tommy countered.

"You've come all this way to tell me that I'm a lousy father?" Malcolm rolled his eyes, "You really should be over it by now. It was tiresome when you were eleven and it's pathetic at thirty."

 Tommy took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was there with a purpose, "No, I'm not here to tell you that you're a lousy father, I think it is one thing we can actually agree on. I want to know what Ra's has planned for Oliver."

"As always, you make things more dramatic than they need to be. You were merely currency to be exchanged between multiple parties. Ra's had something I needed and I could get him something he needed. It was merely a transaction between colleagues."

"You sacrificed Oliver," Tommy shouted.

"Oliver sacrificed himself," Malcolm shouted back. "Your boyfriend is so pathetically predictable. I knew he'd trade his life for yours."

"Yes, because he loves me," Tommy's anger deflated as he realized the futility of arguing with a man incapable of love.

Malcolm scoffed, "Love. You're pathetically predictable too. Accept that Oliver is gone for good. Go back home and live the mundane life you've always been destined for. Return to your pretty girlfriend, get married, have kids and forget about Oliver. I gave you a gift - you're finally getting the girl before she realizes that she only wants Oliver."

Tommy clenched his fists at his side, "Why can't you just leave me be? Don't you think mom would want me to be happy? I was happy and you took that from me - twice."

"Grow up, Tommy," Malcolm sneered, "there's no such thing as happy. Pain and suffering are inevitable, but feeling it is optional. You chose to feel the loss of your mother and Oliver when you could choose to move past it and turn it into something greater."

It was Tommy's turn to scoff. Only his father would think that a murder conspiracy was a productive way to channel grief, "Like killing people? By causing others to suffer? You are a mad man."

"Don't blame me for what is happening to you. I came to you with a choice and you chose wrong," Malcolm's voice dripped venom.

"Handing over computer code and military specs was never a choice. After what you've done, did you actually think we'd turn it over to you?"

"I counted on Oliver having greater sense. If you'd given me what I asked for, I could've defeated Ra's and my blood debt would've been erased and his plans would've been thwarted. I warned you that there would be consequences. Oliver is where he is because he chose to be there. He allowed his sentiment for you and Ms. Smoak to cloud his judgment. Oliver Queen is a fool."

Tommy pulled a gun from the waistband of his pants and leveled it at his father's chest. "Maybe he is, but he's my fool," Tommy pulled the trigger, "and you're going to help me get him back."

Malcolm's eyes widened in surprise. In the center of his chest was another dart. "You have no idea what's really going on," he said as he struggled to keep his eyes opened.

Tommy placed a hand on his dad's chest, "Sleep well. When you wake up, we'll be in Nanda Parbat."

Tommy cut the noose. Malcolm opened his mouth to say something, but his head fell forward as he lost consciousness.

The sound of the room's door opening, had Tommy spinning and leveling his gun at the door. Roy walked in and immediately put his hands up, "Whoa, it's me."

Tommy lowered the gun, "Sorry, it's my first time on this side of a kidnapping."

"All the guards are neutralized. There's a SUV with tinted windows in the garage." Roy started gathering all of Tommy's supplies and the bag containing his father's League uniform, "I'll get this. You carry him."

"Right," Tommy removed his father's restraints and lifted him in a fireman's carry.

He followed Roy into the garage and placed his father in the back of the SUV. Roy climbed into the driver's seat and the engine roared to life. Tommy took a deep breath and tried to find his calm. They still needed to get his dad on a private plane without anyone asking too many questions. The garage door began to open and Tommy hopped into the passenger seat. Once they were through Malcolm's front gate, Tommy breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to look at the younger man behind the wheel who had dropped everything to help him, "Roy, thank you for all of this. I'm grateful for it."

Roy looked at him briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. "I love Thea and she loves you and Oliver. If there is something I can do to make sure she doesn't lose the both of you, then I'm going to do it."

Tommy watched the road behind them for any pursuers, "Whatever your motivation, thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. Wait until we have Oliver home." Roy smirked, "I just want to be there when you get home and Felicity let's you have it."

Tommy sighed as he thought of Felicity at home going out of her mind with worry for Oliver and him, "Yeah, I'm pretty certain she is really pissed with me, but I hope I get the chance to hear her yell at me again.

 

Felicity woke up with a start. She burrowed her face into her pillow as she tried to remember what she'd been dreaming about because she knew it had been important. The dream slipped through her fingers and she rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. The guys had been gone for just over two days, but it still felt like an eternity since she heard Tommy's laugh or seen Oliver's smile. She rolled over to retrieve her glasses from the nightstand and groaned when she saw it was only just after one in the morning. She'd only gone to bed at midnight, but she knew that she was awake for the night. The adrenalin coursing through her would see to that.

She'd wanted to leave for Nanda Parbat as soon as Dig had returned from speaking with Amanda Waller, but Dig and Sara insisted that they needed to have a plan beyond storming the castle. Waller had reluctantly confirmed that she was familiar with the Alpha and Omega virus and that Oliver had been working for her in Hong Kong in order to locate and retrieve the virus before it fell into dangerous hands. Oliver had failed and the virus had been released in a Hong Kong market. The deaths had been attributed to a chemical leak and swept under the rug by A.R.G.U.S. The news footage from that time had been disturbing and Felicity finally understood the horrors that haunted Oliver from Hong Kong. If Nyssa and Sara didn't have Ra's only sample of the virus the entire world was in danger.

Felicity decided that laying in bed and staring at the ceiling would do nothing to calm her nerves. She'd been postponing going through the paperwork Tommy had left for her on the kitchen table and she figured that she might as well do that if she couldn't sleep. She pulled on Tommy's bathrobe and smiled at the smell of his cologne. "Son of a bitch," she said to Hildy, "the safe deposit box."

Felicity dove onto the bed and grabbed her phone from its charger on the nightstand. She selected a number and prayed that he'd pick up. When the call connected, she didn't give him a chance to speak, "I'm sorry to wake you, but I need a huge favor. It's an emergency. I need to get into a safe deposit box at Starling National."

"Felicity?" Walter asked groggily, "Is everything all right?"

"No, it's not even close to all right, but I don't have time to explain. I need to get into Starling National and it can't wait for morning. Please, Walter." Felicity didn't care if she sounded like she was begging.

"Felicity, are you able to speak freely?" Walter sounded concerned.

Felicity appreciated that he was concerned and in light of what had recently happened to her, she didn't blame him, "I haven't been kidnapped, if that's what you're asking. No one asked me to call you."

"I'll meet you there in a half hour," Walter hung up without saying goodbye.

A half hour later, Felicity stood in front of Starling National in her pajamas and a raincoat. The door opened to reveal Walter, the bank's manager and a security guard. "Felicity," Walter kissed her on her cheek, "you remember Edward Harrison."

Felicity held out her hand, "Yes, Mr. Harrison. It's good to see you again. I appreciate you getting out of bed in the middle of the night to help me. I promise you that this is a real emergency."

"Of course, Ms. Smoak." Edward gestured towards the bank's interior, "Let's get you to the vault."

Edward escorted Felicity and Walter to the vault that held Tommy's safety deposit box. She signed the register and pulled the key from her purse. Edward inserted the bank's key and Felicity inserted her own. Edward pulled the fairly large box from the wall and sat it on the table for her, "Take your time."

"Thank you," she said to Edward. When Walter moved to step outside she put her hand on his sleeve, "Walter, would you mind staying."

Walter smiled gently, "Of course."

Felicity opened the lid to the box. She wasn't surprised to see an envelope at the very top of the box addressed to her. With a shaking hand she lifted the envelope. She prayed that it wasn't just a goodbye letter, because if it was, she was going to be beyond angry with him. She opened the envelope and pulled out a letter and flash drive.

_Felicity,_

_Please forgive me for not sharing this with you sooner, but I needed a head start. I'm hoping I'll already have my dad in custody by the time you're reading this, but part of me thinks you'll realize that my reminding you of the safety deposit box was a bit weird since we'd discussed getting one of my mom's rings out of it for your wedding to Oliver._

_Anyway, if you're reading this, then you've come to the safety deposit box hoping for answers. The flash drive is the one you gave me with all of the information from my dad's encrypted laptop. I told you that the drive didn't contain answers, which is the truth. What I failed to mention was that it listed all of my dad's safe houses located all over the world. I'm starting my search for my dad in Corto Maltese. If he isn't there, I will move on to Moldovia. If he isn't there, I haven't made up my mind where to try next. Feel free to look through the drive._

_I'm sorry I didn't tell you my plan before I left, but confronting my father is something that I need to do alone. I'm going to force my father to do the right thing for once in his selfish life. My dad will tell me how to save Oliver from a lifetime in the League or he will find out how much his son I truly am._

_I will be in touch as soon as I'm able._

_I love you._

_Tommy_

_PS - I took the passport from my bug out bag._

"I'm going to kill him," Felicity said to herself as she placed the letter and flash drive into her purse. Tommy had given her everything she needed to find him. She closed the lid of her box and called out to Edward.

The security guard escorted Felicity, Walter and Edward out of the bank. After she told Edward how grateful she was for his help she turned to Walter with a bit of a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's all right." Walter took a look at his watch, "There's an all night coffee shop just around the corner. Why don't you let me buy you a cup of coffee and you can tell me what trouble Tommy and Oliver have gotten into now."

She stood up on her toes and Walter leaned forward so she could kiss him on the cheek, "I promise I will tell you everything, but right now I need to do something."

Felicity took off at a run towards her car. As soon as she started the engine she called Dig, "Meet me at the Foundry, I know how to find Tommy."

 

A naked Oliver walked across the chamber towards the dais where his initiation would take place. Ra's had told him that he was to be branded with his new identity and Oliver Queen would be burned away. Oliver wasn't afraid of the pain. He'd experienced far worse and knew that this pain would be transitory. He was running out of unblemished flesh and wondered where Ra's would choose to leave the mark. He didn't look forward to Tommy and Felicity seeing this new scar.

When he arrived at the dais he stepped between the two wooden pillars and wrapped his hands and wrists in the leather straps attached to the posts. Ra's circled him, eyeing his body as he spoke about the journey Oliver was about to take as his heir. Oliver tuned out Ra's voice and retreated into his own mind. The five years after the Gambit sank had taught him how to disassociate himself from torture and pain. Amanda Waller had been a proficient teacher and the Bratva had been an effective proving ground for his education.

He was aware of the pain as the branding iron made contact with his skin and he was able to dismiss it until the smell of his burning flesh penetrated his inner defenses. His grip on the leather straps tightened as he remembered receiving the burn on the small of his back. The sense of smell was both a blessing and a curse. The smell of gardenias would instantly bring his mother and her smile to mind and it provided him with a sense of comfort. On the flip side, the smell of burning flesh had the power to transport him through time and force him to relive the terror and the pain of being trapped and being unable to escape the flames that licked his skin until it melted.

Before he lost himself to the memory, the brand was lifted from his skin. Oliver released the leather straps and stepped towards the League's Priestess. She spread something cool over the brand and his skin instantly felt relief.

Ra's beckoned him forward. Oliver straightened his shoulders and approached Ra's with a neutral face.  dropped to his knees and lowered his head in a show of subservience. Ra's placed his blade on Oliver's shoulder, "Oliver Queen is no more. Al Sah-Him is born and," Ra's removed his sword and signaled for Oliver to stand, "rises as Warith al Ghul."

Oliver rose to his feet and accepted his League vestments from the Priestess. On top of the pile of clothing was his totem - an arrow head strung on a leather cord. He instantly knew what his brand must be and the meaning of Al Sah-Him. Ra's was reminding him that Oliver was nothing more than what Ra's believed the Arrow meant - judge, jury and executioner. If what Ra's had told Tommy and Felicity was true, he wanted Oliver as an heir because he needed someone who was willing to take matters into his own hands - someone who was comfortable living in shades of grey. He felt a chill settle over him as he realized that whatever it was that Ra's needed Oliver for, it was because Nyssa had been unwilling to do it. If someone as loyal and as committed to the League and her father as Nyssa was could leave the League then whatever Ra's was planning was far worse than whatever Oliver had previously imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Coming Up Next Time - Our heroes have a plan - they do - really.


	11. Fancy Meeting You Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan to defeat Ra's starts to come together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> I was truly moved by the love expressed for this story and this series when I posted the last chapter. Your comments now exceed the number of kudos which tells me that I'm lucky to have such passionate and loyal readers. I enjoy hearing from all of you and appreciate the time you take out of your day to read this story and to send me a note to tell me that you're enjoying it. Thank you! 
> 
> This is the penultimate chapter. I've been staying up late all week to make sure I met my Saturday deadline. Please forgive any typos, as this chapter might be suffering from me editing with heavy eyelids.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

The door to Oliver's chamber opened slowly and a figure dressed in League garb slithered into the shadows. Oliver's hand clenched around the knife under his pillow and he sent it flying into the darkness as he rolled off the bed.

The sound of the knife embedding itself into the wooden wall was followed by a whisper, "Oliver."

Oliver froze at the sound of the familiar voice from his past. It had been six years since he'd heard his name uttered with such frustration, disappointment and affection, "Maseo?"

Oliver lit the oil lamp beside his bed. The figure stepped out of the shadows and lowered his mask, "Hello, my old friend. I'd hoped to see you again one day, but not here."

"What are you doing here?" Oliver lowered his voice, "Are you here for Amanda?"

Maseo laughed, "I will never help that woman again. After Hong Kong, I found myself here. There aren't many options for men with our skillsets."

"Is Tatsu here too?" Oliver wasn't sure if he hoped his friend's wife was here or had remained outside of the League's clutches. His friends deserved peace and a life free of violence after the death of their son.

"She is nearby, but she's not a member of the League." Maseo pulled a small bundle from inside his robe, "We don't have a lot of time. You must drink this," he handed Oliver a thermos, "all of it."

Oliver wrinkled his nose as he sniffed the contents of the thermos, "What is it?"

"Tomorrow, Ra's will begin your training You will be removed from your rooms and confined to the cells. You will be drugged to make you susceptible to Ra's conditioning. This will help counteract those drugs. Drink if you don't want to be his puppet."

Oliver forced himself to drink the bitter liquid, "How long will this counteract the drugs for?"

"I will need to get this to you every day. Luckily, Ra's trusts me and doesn't know of our connection. He has asked me to begin training you on swords. It is imperative that you not recognize me, Al Sah-Him. Our lives depend on it." Maseo took the thermos back from Oliver and returned it to his robes."

"Why are you helping me?" Oliver asked cautiously.

Maseo pulled the knife from the wall and handed it back to Oliver, "Because it is what Akio would've wanted." Maseo returned the mask to his face, "Turn off the lamp."

Oliver returned the room to darkness, "Thank you, Maseo."

The sound of Oliver's chamber door closing was his only response. He was left alone with his memories of the little boy whose death had turned him into a monster.

 

The wind howled and whipped around Felicity as she carefully followed the path Dig was forging through the snow. She was grateful to have his 6'4" frame blocking the brunt of the blizzard's winds. All of their gear was on Dig's back and Felicity was attached to him by a rope tied around their waists. They'd been walking for hours before the unexpected storm surrounded them. Their choices had been limited to bad and worse. They decided that they would continue towards the rendezvous spot and rely on her Queen GPS tech to navigate them through the storm - if they didn't plunge off the side of a cliff first.

It had been two weeks since Sara and Nyssa had appeared in Starling City and they'd come up with their plan to defeat Ra's and save Oliver. Felicity had wanted to leave for Nanda Parbat immediately, but they'd needed to destroy the virus first. Barry had retrieved the vial and brought it to Caitlyn at STAR labs. They successfully destroyed the virus and Caitlyn created something harmless that would mimic the initial symptoms of the Alpha and Omega just in case Ra's decided to test it. While Caitlyn worked on the virus subsititue, Felicity used the clues Tommy left her to find him. She tracked him from Corto Maltese to Dubai to Bangladesh. She knew that he must have found Malcolm and that he had to be making his way to Nanda Parbat. She had no way of getting in contact with him to let him know that they had a plan. She prayed that he was safe and that they'd be able to find him before he could get caught in the crossfire.

Felicity was able to make out the faint glow of a light and she hoped it belonged to the tavern Nyssa had directed them to wait for Sara. Felicity's legs burned as she trudged through the snow. Despite the freezing temperatures, she was sweating inside of her parka. Her eyes felt heavy and her chest was tight. She labored for each and every breath she took. Her six weeks away had made her forget how thin the air was in the mountains of Nanda Parbat. She desperately needed a steroid injection and her nebulizer.

"We're almost there," Dig shouted into the wind, "hang on."

Felicity put her head down and continued to walk into the wind. Each step she took brought her closer to Oliver and to getting her family back. She allowed her mind to drift as a distraction from the tedium and burning pain of hiking through a blizzard. Dig came to a sudden stop and she collided with their packs. He banged on a door until someone from within finally opened up.

They entered a tavern straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. There was a long bar and six small tables with wooden stools and a large fire roaring in the fireplace.

Dig dropped their packs and gear onto the floor and removed his gloves. Ignoring the proprietor who was speaking in a language Felicity didn't understand, Dig pushed the hood from her face and began to unzip her parka, "Are you okay?" He dropped to his knees and pulled a black bag from her pack. "I need you to take slow deep breaths for me. In for five, out for five."

"I'm fine," she wheezed as she dropped onto a stool. At Dig's glare she began to breath in and out on a five count.

Dig pulled out two syringes, two clear vials and a few alcohol wipes, "Roll up your sleeve."

She was about to tell him that she was fine and he should stop worrying when he shot her a withering look. Felicity rolled up her sleeve and held her arm out, "You might actually be worse than Peter."

Dig smiled as he stuck her with the first needle, "Keeping you alive is my number one priority. You're not an acceptable loss on this mission."

"Dig," Felicity winced as she received her second jab.

"I only agreed to let you come because you promised me that you would do everything I told you," Dig applied two Disney Princess band aids to her arm. Felicity couldn't help but smile as she thought of Dig raiding his daughter's band aid supplies to round out their med kit. "Oliver would never forgive me if I put him ahead of your safety."

"I know, it's your sacred pact," Felicity said guiltily.

"That's right. The day you signed on, we promised each other that we'd keep you safe, no matter what."

Felicity leaned forward and kissed John's cheek, "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm real happy I did it." She lifted her eyes and inclined her head, "I think that guy really wants to speak with you."

Felicity continued to take slow deep breaths as the meds began to help loosen the tightness in her chest. She watched Dig and the tavern keeper speak. There was a lot of gesturing and Dig waved around a large amount of cash. He looked worried as the other man disappeared behind a curtain. Dig sat down next to Felicity and picked up her hand so he could take her pulse, "Your breathing sounds better and your lips and fingertips are no longer blue. How are you feeling?"

"I promise, John, my breathing is much easier now. Some time on my nebulizer before bed and I'll be as good as new," she took several deep breaths to illustrate her point. Dig kept glancing at the curtain. Felicity took his hand, "You don't seem happy."

"This place only has two rooms to rent and it seems some people beat us here. I've offered the other guests a lot of money to share a room, since you're sick and need to sleep in a bed." Dig removed an electronic thermometer from the bag and stuck it in her ear, "For your sake, you better not be running a fever. I will send you back down this mountain if you are."

"You don't think the other guests are Sara and Nyssa, do you?" Felicity asked hopefully. She was kind of hoping for a friendly familiar face or two.

"Nah, they're not scheduled to get here until tomorrow and that was before the blizzard," Dig said as he rummaged through his bag of medical supplies for the next thing to torture her with.

The curtain behind the bar moved, drawing Felicity's attention away from Dig. When the curtain finally parted it revealed the world's most recognizable red hoodie, "Roy?"

Roy shook his head and laughed. He quickly crossed the room and hugged Felicity, "When Sushant said there was a big man and a sick woman who wanted to buy my room, I never imagined it would be the two of you."

"Roy, what are you doing here?" Dig eyed the younger man suspiciously. "Thea said you were out of town helping a friend."

"Ah, well, technically, I am out of town helping a friend," Roy said with his usual sass and a smirk. He picked up some of their gear, "It's a long story. Let me help you get settled into my room and I'll tell you everything while we eat." Roy put his hand out to stop Felicity from standing, "We'll be right back. Sushant is making you tea."

Felicity smiled at the thought of a steaming cup of tea, "Thank you."

She watched half of Team Arrow disappear behind the curtain and felt even more confident that they would rescue Oliver soon. With Roy there to increase their number of fighters their odds had to have gotten better. She knew what Oliver, Dig and Roy were capable of when they worked together and she had to believe that between their brawn and her smarts, they'd be able to defeat Ra's like they had every other villain they faced. Deciding to close her eyes for a minute, she rested her arms on the table and lowered her head onto her forearms.

A warm hand caressing her neck and shoulders slowly brought her back to consciousness. "Mmm, Tommy. Five more minutes." The realization that she recognized the caress had her instantly awake and upright, "Tommy?"

Tommy was seated on the stool beside her. His deep blue eyes and easy smile were a welcome sight. Tommy reached out and cupped her cheek, "Hi, babe."

Felicity launched herself into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm so happy to see you."

Tommy kissed her neck and held her tightly against his chest. "Not as happy as I am to be seen by you," he teased.

Felicity pulled out of his arms in order to get a better look at him. His plan had been to confront his father and her eyes roamed his body looking for what his clothes could be hiding, "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?"

Tommy smiled, "The benefit of being a crushing disappointment is that my dad always underestimates me. He never saw me coming."

Felicity brought her arms down sharply onto his bicep, "How could you do that to me? Do you know how worried I've been?"

"Ow," Tommy rubbed his arm, "I'm sorry, but it was something I had to do."

"That's not good enough. You and me, we don't keep secrets from one another. We already have one broody secret keeper in this relationship, my heart can't take another." Felicity reached maximum loud voice, "How could you not tell me where you were going?"

"Careful," Tommy said in an attempt to diffuse her anger, "you'll cause an avalanche."

She poked his chest, "This isn't funny, Tommy Merlyn. I could've lost you and I wouldn't have ever known what had happened to you."

"I left you clues and I brought Roy with me," Tommy said defensively. "I just needed a head start."

"Don't bring Roy into this. You got him to lie to me and to Thea. You're supposed to be the good influence," Felicity said with all seriousness.

Tommy burst out laughing, "In the history of the world, no one has ever accused me of being a good influence."

All of Felicity's anger drained from her at once, "You're my good influence." She threaded her fingers through his, "Don't ever leave me behind again."

"Hey," Tommy pulled her back onto his lap, "we're together now and, as soon as the snow stops, we'll get Ollie back."

Sushant returned to the bar carrying a tray of steaming food with Dig and Roy following him. "God that smells so good," Felicity's stomach growled as Sushant placed a pot of tea, a basket of bread and several covered dishes onto their table.

"Dhanayabad," Tommy said to Sushant.

Felicity nervously eyed the curtain, "Is it safe to leave Malcolm alone?"

Dig laughed as he served himself a heaping portion of meat, "Your guy over there has him hog tied and sedated. He's not going anywhere for a few hours. Eat."

"What's your plan?" Roy asked Felicity. "I know it has to be good because Dig would never let you come on a suicide mission."

Felicity swallowed what she suspected was goat and looked at Tommy guiltily, "Nyssa and Oliver are going to get married."

Tommy began to choke on his food. Felicity slapped him on the back until he stopped coughing. He took a sip of tea and cleared his throat, "Does Ollie know about this?"

"He will by morning, "Dig replied with a grin, "unless this weather has delayed Nyssa and her proposal."

"And how exactly does Ollie marrying Nyssa help us get him back?" Tommy asked with concern. "I'm pretty sure Ollie isn't Nyssa's type and I don't think they've ever agreed on anything other than Sara. She'll probably slit his throat on their wedding night."

"It's not Oliver's throat Nyssa will be slitting," Felicity put her next bite of food down as she lost her appetite thinking about wedding nights and patricide.

Tommy raised his eyebrows, "I think you better tell me the plan."

Felicity and Dig took turns telling Tommy and Roy the plan they'd hatched with Nyssa and Sara. They ate their meal and answered all of the questions Tommy and Roy directed at them.

Roy pushed his plate away, "That sounds like a really good plan, but it's dependent on Nyssa or Oliver killing Ra's. From what I understand, that's not easily done. He's held onto power for centuries. He won't go down without a fight."

"It's our best chance of getting Oliver out," Felicity looked between the three men, hoping for agreement. "Ra's will be gone and Oliver can transfer his obligation to Nyssa and everyone's happy," she wrinkled her nose, "well, not Ra's, obviously."

"Maybe we can improve our chances," Tommy offered. "If I deliver my dad to Ra's, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll kill each other or be distracted enough for Nyssa or Oliver to do it."

"What was your plan?" Dig asked Tommy and Roy.

Tommy nervously picked at a piece of bread, "My dad wants to be Ra's al Ghul. Everything I found on his laptop in Corto Maltese points to him recruiting members of the League to his side. Ra's instability is causing concern with the rank and file and they're hungry for new leadership. It appears that members are lining up behind either Nyssa or my dad. No one is happy with Ra's choice to make Oliver his heir. If Ollie doesn't prove himself quickly, he will be assassinated."

Felicity placed her hand over Tommy's, "I still don't understand."

"I told my dad that we'd," Tommy pointed to Roy, "help him defeat Ra's once he helped us get Ollie."

Dig scoffed, "Do you honestly think you can trust Malcolm? What's to prevent him from turning on you?"

"You're right. There's nothing to keep my dad in line - except his desire for power." Tommy smiled sadly, "He admires Oliver, hell, he wishes that Oliver was his son. My dad believes that he can defeat Ra's with Oliver on his side."

"Oliver will never agree to help Malcolm become the head of the League," Felicity said with absolute certainty.

"No," Tommy squeezed her hand, "I'm certain that he will. If Ollie's choice is to live under Ra's thumb and never see us again or to help my dad and get to come home to us and Thea - he'll choose home. I know it."

Dig rubbed his hands over his face, "Well, we've got a problem. Both Nyssa and Malcolm want to be Ra's. We can only pick one plan. We can only back one future Ra's."

Felicity raised her hand, "I vote Nyssa, no question."

Roy nodded, "Same here."

Tommy shrugged, "Hey, if we have an option that doesn't include my dad being the head of a group with assassin in their name, I'm all for it."

"I think you should allow Oliver to decide," a soft feminine voice said from behind the curtain.

Dig rose from the table with his glock pointed at the curtain, "Show yourself."

A woman, covered head to toe in shearling, stepped through the curtain. When she removed her scarf and revealed her face, Tommy and Felicity stood in surprise.

"You," Tommy pointed at the woman he'd always thought of as the woman in green robes.

Noticing Dig and Roy's confusion, Felicity said, "She saved my life when I was dying in Ra's dungeon."

"My name is Tatsu and I'm a friend of Oliver's," she extended her hand towards Felicity. "I'm happy to see that you have recovered."

Felicity saw the same shock on Tommy's face that she knew had to be on her own. Oliver had spoken very little of his time in Hong Kong, but he did speak of three people with fondness - Tatsu, Maseo and Akio Yamashiro. Felicity clasped Tatsu's hand, "You're the one who taught Oliver to do laundry."

Tatsu smiled with surprise before she schooled her features and once again looked aloof and detached.

"Please," Tommy pulled out the stool he'd been sitting on, "join us for tea." Tatsu sat down and Tommy pulled over another stool. "These are our friends, John Diggle and Roy Harper. This is Tatsu Yamashiro. I owe her everything," Tommy kissed Felicity's hand.

Pleasantries were exchanged and tea was poured before Felicity began to pepper Tatsu with questions, "Have you seen Oliver? Is he okay? Has Ra's formally named him his heir yet?"

"I have not seen Oliver, but Maseo has. Ra's named Oliver his heir his first night in Nanda Parbat." Tatsu took hold of Felicity's hand, "It is imperative that we get Oliver out. His training has already begun. Maseo is trying to counteract the effects of the drugs, but we aren't sure how long the countermeasures I've developed will be effective."

"Drugs?" Dig asked. "Nyssa mentioned hallucinogens.

Tatsu nodded, "Ra's will use drugs, sensory deprivation, starvation and torture to break Oliver until there is nothing left of the man you know. He has been renamed, Al Sah-Him, Warith al Ghul."

Felicity turned to Dig who spoke Arabic, "Al Sah-Him?"

Dig rubbed his fingers across his mouth, "The Arrow."

Laughter bubbled out of Felicity as exhaustion and the absurdity of the situation finally caught up with her, "That's a bit on the nose. I thought Ra's wanted to eliminate Oliver's identity?"

Dig drummed his fingers against the table, "He must think that Oliver has a split personality and exists separately from the Arrow."

"Doesn't he?" Roy asked with all seriousness. "Don't get me wrong, I love Oliver, but he does refer to himself in the third person."

"He only does that now to annoy Dig," Felicity winked at John.

"Oliver is a lot stronger than Ra's gives him credit for," Dig rested his hand on Felicity's back, "but I agree with Tatsu. We need to get Oliver out of there as fast as possible. All men break, eventually."

"Are you and Maseo both in the League?" Felicity asked as she realized Tatsu's wardrobe was lacking in both leather and the color black. "Will your absence be noticed?"

"Maseo is in the League. I am the healer of this village. The League often calls upon me for my help." Tatsu picked up her tea cup and swirled its contents, "Ra's doesn't know that I'm Maseo's wife."

"Then Akio must be nearby. I'd love to meet him. Oliver tells such sweet and funny stories about -" Felicity stopped speaking when she saw Tatsu stiffen.

Tommy reached out and placed his hand on Tatsu's forearm, "I'm sorry. She doesn't know. Oliver never told her."

The ice cold fingers of dread wrapped themselves around her heart. She feared the answer as she spoke the question, "What didn't Oliver tell me?"

"My son, Akio, died in Hong Kong. Oliver tried to help us save him, but there was nothing that could be done," Tatsu wiped a single tear from her eye.

Dig muttered a curse under his breath, "The Alpha and Omega virus."

Tatsu's head whipped up and her voice trembled with fear, "Yes, how do you know about that?"

"Amanda Waller told me some of what happened in Hong Kong with General Shrieve," Dig said quietly.

Tatsu pushed back from the table, "You're with A.R.G.U.S.?"

Felicity placed her hand on Tatsu's knee, "No, none of us are with A.R.G.U.S., but Amanda Waller has a bad habit of popping up into our lives."

Tatsu's eyes lost focus, "Waller valued Oliver as an asset. She forced him to do terrible things. She turned him into a monster." Tatsu looked at Felicity, "Oliver is a good man. Akio loved him very much. When Maseo realized who you both were and what Ra's had planned for Oliver, he sent for me to save you. Akio would want us to do everything we can to save his friend."

Felicity wiped the tears from her eyes, "Words seem inadequate, but I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Are you able to get word to Oliver?" Tommy asked, trying to shift the conversation away from Waller, the virus and the painful grief surrounding Akio's memory.

Tatsu straightened her spine, "I can get word to Maseo once the weather breaks. What do you want me to tell him?"

Tommy looked around the table before his eyes rested on Felicity, "What do we want to tell him?"

 

Two hours later, Felicity was trying to get comfortable on the lumpy mattress in the room she was sharing with Dig. John was sound asleep on the bed closest to the door. She envied his ability to fall asleep anywhere. He told her it was a skill he'd learned during his first tour in Afghanistan. Oliver had told her something similar about his time away. He'd learned to get sleep whenever he was able because he never knew when his next opportunity for rest would be.

She sighed as she tried to take Oliver's words to heart and attempted to will herself to sleep, but she couldn't stop thinking about Akio. Tommy was sitting with his back against the wall and tracing soothing circles along her back. "Lay down," she whispered, "just until I fall asleep."

Tommy's hand stilled, "If I lay down next to you, I won't want to let you go. I need to relieve Roy. It's my turn to sit watch."

Felicity sat up, "Then Roy can sleep here and I'll sleep there. I don't want to be away from you."

"No," Tommy said louder than he wanted. He looked over at Dig and was relieved he hadn't woken their friend. "Dig's right. We have an advantage over my dad if he doesn't know that the two of you are here. Besides, I don't want him anywhere near you." He kissed the top of her head, "Lay down. You've had a long day and we don't know what tomorrow will bring."

Felicity rested her head on Tommy's lap and wrapped her arms around his waist, but her brain refused to turn off, "Why did Oliver tell you about Akio but not me?"

Tommy sighed, "I don't think he actually planned on telling me. You were in Central City and he had a bad night as the Arrow. A man was holding his girlfriend and son hostage. Ollie got them out, but not before the boy was hurt."

"I remember," Felicity said through a yawn. She'd run comms from STAR labs that night. The boy had been shot in the leg. It turned out to be a flesh wound, but Oliver had blamed himself for the child being injured.

"That night he had a nightmare. He was screaming and thrashing and I couldn't wake him up. He was speaking in Mandarin and the only word I recognized was, Akio. When I finally woke him, he was a mess - shaking - crying - he couldn't catch his breath. The only thing I could do was hold him. When he calmed down he told me that Akio had been killed by soldiers and died in his parents' arms. He said that all he could do was watch as Akio slipped away. He didn't tell me about the virus."

Felicity shifted closer to Tommy so she was pressed against his legs, "I wish you could sing to me."

Tommy's fingers gently stroked through her hair as he hummed softly. She could feel herself start to relax and her eyelids grew heavy. The sooner she slept, the sooner morning would come and the sooner Oliver and his baggage car of secrets would be back in their arms. After she learned about Slade, Ivo and Shado, she'd promised herself that she would do everything in her power to make up for the five years Oliver went without any happy stories. The past six months had made it impossible for her to give Oliver any happy stories but as soon as they were home, she would get their happy story back on track.

 

Nyssa took a deep breath before she threw open the doors to her father's ceremonial chambers. She strode across the room with purpose and her chin held high. Her boots echoed across the room and she felt satisfaction from knowing that her presence could not be denied.

She could see the shadow of her father on the screen surrounding the Lazarus Pit. She dropped to her knees, "Father, I have returned victorious."

The sound of water being displaced as his body rose from the pool echoed throughout the room, "Daughter, I am much surprised by your return. I believed you and your lover to be thieves and traitors that had slipped into the night like cowards."

Nyssa didn't raise her head at her father's approach. She knew that there was a good chance that he'd run her through with a sword before listening to her story. His bare feet entered her field of vision and she watched a puddle of water form around him and spread towards her, "I chased the traitor until I was able to retrieve what had been stolen from you." She slowly pulled her sword from its scabbard and unscrewed the top of the hilt. She tilted her sword and the virus free vial slid into her hands. She held the vial out to her father with an open palm.

Ra's took the vial from her and held it up to the light, "You have done well, my child." He held out his hand and she slipped her hand into his and allowed him to help her to her feet. "What of Ta-er al Sahfer?"

"Her treachery has been dealt with in accordance to our custom." Nyssa pulled Sara's mask from her pocket, "May she find the peace she was denied in this life in the next."

"Sara Lance was never truly one of us. I blame myself for allowing a father's indulgence from preventing me from putting a stop to your relationship." He tilted her chin up to look at him, "I'm gratified that you came to the realization on your own."

"But not fast enough. You've named a new heir, Oliver Queen," Nyssa hoped she didn't sound as bitter as she felt.

Ra's released her chin, "It was a mistake to believe that either you or your sister would ever be able to succeed me. I passed over Talia because of her blind obsession with the detective. I thought that you would be different, but you also allowed your emotions to make you soft and to impair your judgment." He held up the vial, "All of my plans could've been ruined because you put your misplaced love for Sara ahead of your responsibilities to me and the League. I've learned my lesson. Only a strong man can be my heir. Al Sah-Him is everything I hoped for in a son. He will not fail me."

"Yes father, I see that now," Nyssa swallowed the bile rising in her throat. "I want to be a daughter you can be proud of. Give my hand to Al Sah-Him in marriage. Let me give him heirs so your bloodline will continue when our son become Ra's."

Ra's narrowed his dark eyes and studied his daughter, "You wish to marry Al Sah-Him?"

"I wish to please you," Nyssa knew she was treading a fine line with her father. She'd always been a dutiful daughter, but she'd never been overly subservient, "What other choice do I have?" Nyssa looked her father in the eyes, "If I do not marry him, he will be forced to kill me."

Ra's smiled, "Ah, the truth finally reveals itself. This is about your self-preservation."

"Were you not the one who taught me the value of survival at any cost? I know Al Sah-Him. He will be a good husband and father. He will be a worthy heir for you and together, as husband and wife, we will honor your legacy. Marriage is a far preferable fate than death by his sword," Nyssa wasn't sure if she really believed her own words but she could see that her father did.

"Bring Al Sah-Him to me," Ra's shouted at one of his faceless minions.

When Oliver finally made his appearance, Nyssa was shocked by his appearance. His head had been shaved and he was dressed in the garb of an assassin. Everything about the way he moved was different, but it was the coldness of his eyes that alarmed Nyssa most. She feared that Oliver's long forced separation from his lovers and the short time he'd been under her father's influence had already broken his spirit. If there was nothing left of Oliver Queen, her decision to offer herself in marriage might very well be a fatal mistake.

"Al Sah-Him," Ra's said fondly, "you know my daughter."

Oliver inclined his head, "Nyssa."

She bowed slightly in deference to his new Heir to the Demon title, "Al Sah-Him."

"Al Sah-Him," Ra's clasped Oliver's shoulder, "part of your responsibility as my heir is to produce heirs. To that end, I've decided that you shall marry."

Nyssa had to give Oliver credit. His mask only slipped for a split second before he recovered the coldness in his eyes. His small slip was the only encouragement she needed. Oliver was still Oliver, which meant their plan had a chance to work.

"Marry?" Oliver sounded disinterested. "Whatever you think is best."

"Excellent," Ra's smiled broadly. "Tonight we feast. Tomorrow you will wed Nyssa and become my son as well as my heir. By tomorrow evening, your son and heir might very well be growing in her womb."

Oliver shot a look at Nyssa and she feared that his worry for her would be all of their undoing, "I will not force myself upon any woman."

"Your sense of honor does you credit, but you need not worry," Ra's said with thinly veiled anger at Oliver's display of defiance. He softened his tone, "Tell him, my daughter. Tell him that you will wed and share his bed willingly."

Nyssa dropped to her knees in front of Oliver, "You will do me a great honor to take me as your wife. I will endeavor to be worthy of you, Warith al Ghul."

Ra's brushed past them, "I must change and prepare for this wedding."

Oliver and Nyssa remained frozen to their spots as Ra's and his guards left the chamber. Oliver waited until he could no longer hear the echo of any footsteps. He offered his hand to Nyssa and pulled her to her feet. Through gritted teeth he asked, "What are you doing?"

Nyssa moved until her body was pressed against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck in what she hoped would appear to be a lover's embrace. Oliver caught on to what she was doing and wrapped his arms around her back. Nyssa brushed her lips against his ear, "Felicity said that you were looking for a wife."

Nyssa felt Oliver sigh. He moved his lips to her ear, "You weren't exactly the woman I had in mind. What are the two of you up to?"

At the sound of approaching footsteps, Nyssa crushed her lips against Oliver's. For a moment she feared he wouldn't respond, but then his arms tightened around her and he kissed her back. She was grateful that the man who had proven time and time again how stubborn he could be had trusted her enough to follow her lead. Once the approaching assassins entered the chamber, she pulled out of Oliver's arms. "I must preserve some mystery for our wedding night." She was more flustered than she expected as she left the chamber and headed towards her rooms on shaky legs. Sara had spoken the truth, Oliver Queen was a very good kisser.

Tommy watched his father's every movement as he fed himself. Malcolm had been unconscious for twenty-four hours and his movements were slow. His hands had a slight tremble as he brought his cup of tea to his lips.

Tommy wasn't sure if the display of weakness was genuine or for show, but he wasn't taking any chances. He held a gun pointed at the floor but Roy's arrow was nocked and aimed straight at Malcolm's heart. Tommy was reassured knowing that Dig stood outside the door with his glock at the ready, just in case his dad was able to get past him and Roy.

Malcolm's eyes drifted back and forth between Roy and his son, looking for any weakness and a chance for escape, "You're sleeping with your sister's boyfriend now? It wasn't enough to be sleeping with her brother?"

Roy huffed his annoyance but Tommy pretended like he hadn't heard a word. "We've received news that Oliver is getting married tonight," Tommy carefully studied his father's face for a reaction.

Malcolm looked at his son sympathetically, "That must sting. Always a bridesmaid but never the bride."

Tommy smiled, "Oliver is marrying Nyssa."

Tommy finally got the reaction he was waiting for. Malcolm's face became thunderous at the news. His fists clenched in his lap as a symphony of rage played through his body. Malcolm trained his ice blue eyes on Tommy, "You think you've won, but you've only signed Oliver's death warrant. Nyssa Raatko cannot be trusted. She wants to be Ra's and she will kill Oliver and her own father to make that happen."

"I wonder why I trust Nyssa more than you?" snarked Tommy. Nyssa's word carried far more weight than his father's ever had.

Malcolm's face instantly shifted and tried to imitate the look of a concerned father, "All I've ever wanted is to protect you."

"Bullshit," Tommy said coldly, "you don't protect a child by hitting him with your fists."

"It wasn't me, Tommy. Ra's sent me a home a monster. He put me into the pit and knew I was out of control when he sent me home to my child. You remember what I was like before your mother died," Malcolm's eyes were wet with feigned remorse.

Tommy couldn't believe his father's nerve, "I might believe that if you hadn't played that recording of her death. You've always been selfish. You were only a husband and a father when it was convenient. That night, mom was an inconvenience to you and it cost her her life."

Malcolm thumped his chest, "Don't you know that I blame myself? I would give up my own life, if I could live that night I over and save her. I loved your mother and I love you, even now with the utter contempt you have for me."

"If you loved my mother, you wouldn't have abandoned her son. If you loved me, you wouldn't have left me, an eight year old, alone and grieving in an empty house for four years." Tommy took a deep breath to get himself back under control, "Even if I could forgive you - for every blow you struck - for every cruel word - for the lives of five hundred and three people - for trading my life for yours - because the pit made you do it, I will never forgive you for leaving when she died."

"I was in pain," Malcolm shouted, "I couldn't stay and look into your eyes - her eyes. I see her every time I look at you."

"I was eight and she was my mother. I was in pain," Tommy shouted, "and I needed my father. You left me."

"Tommy," Malcolm said calmly, "I couldn't save your mother back then, but I can save your Oliver now. Let me go and I will try to make everything up to you. I will kill Ra's and save Oliver. Let me be the father you deserve this one time. I can never be the father that you want, but right now, I'm the father you need."

"You're a bastard," Tommy shot his dad with another tranquilizer dart.

Tommy ran his and hand and gun over his head as he tried to process everything his father said. He turned to Roy, "If he moves, arrow him."

He stepped into the hall where Dig and Felicity were waiting. Dig placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder as he stepped into Malcolm's room, "I'll hook him back up to the I.V. We should keep him under until we decide what to do with him."

Tommy nodded as he stared at Felicity. When the door closed behind Dig, Tommy slumped against the wall and began to shake. She reached for his hand and pulled him into the other room. Once they were inside Felicity fisted her hands in his sweater, "Are you okay?"

He attempted a smile. "I forget how good he is at lying and," Tommy's voice broke, "I hate myself for wanting to believe him."

Felicity took the gun from his hand and dropped it on her pack. She pulled on his hand and led him to her bed, "You've been awake for more than twenty-four hours. You need to sleep. Let Dig and Roy watch him for a few hours."

"Okay," Tommy agreed as he kicked off his boots, removed his jeans and pulled his sweater over his head. He was exhausted and sleep sounded like the best idea he'd heard in a long time. He slipped beneath the blankets and made room for Felicity beside him, "I'll sleep better if you're here."

She smiled as she joined him under the covers. Tommy pulled her towards him until her back was pressed firmly against his chest. She laced her fingers with his and pressed their hands over her heart. He nuzzled her neck and her hips pressed back against him. "Felicity," he sighed into her ear as his exhaustion was replaced with hunger.

Felicity rolled onto her back and Tommy settled between her legs. She cupped his face between her hands, "Tommy."

He lowered his forehead to hers. "I need you," he said desperately against her lips as tears leaked from his eyes.

"I'm right here," she lifted her head slightly so she could capture his lips in a kiss, "I'm right here."

 

Four hours later, Felicity woke wrapped in Tommy's arms. He was in such a deep sleep that he didn't move when she slipped from his embrace. She quickly got dressed and moved into the hall. She looked into Malcolm's room and found Roy asleep and Dig reading a book, "I'm going to look for some tea. Do you want anything?"

Dig smiled, "Nah, I'm good. You have visitors."

Felicity entered the bar to find Sara and Tatsu talking quietly in front of the fire. "How long have you been here?" Felicity sat down next to Sara.

"About an hour," Sara said with a smile. "Is Tommy all right?"

"He will be. He just needed some sleep." Which was true, but Felicity knew that what Tommy really needed was to be as far from his father as possible and to be reunited with Oliver.

"Everything is going according to plan. The wedding will be tonight and we'll be able to easily sneak inside the stronghold," Sara said confidently. "I brought everyone a change of clothes."

"Maseo says that Ra's has ordered the wine cellars to be opened after the wedding," Tatsu informed them. "If we wait until midnight, the majority of the League will be drunk."

 Felicity took the cup of tea Sara offered her. As she watched the flames dance in the fireplace she hoped that they weren't all about to walk into a bloodbath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Coming Up Next Time - The final chapter. Our heroes have their final confrontation with Ra's al Ghul.


	12. Whose Bright Idea Was This Anyway?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and his allies take on Ra's al Ghul and The League of Assassins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> First, a warning. There is quite a bit of violence in this chapter. After all, Oliver and company are fighting Evil Incorporated. The violence isn't any worse than what we see on the show, but if you don't like violence you might want to just skip from Ra's first appearance to the second to last section.
> 
> I can't believe we've arrived at the last chapter of this installment of the Infinite Love series. I hope the conclusion is satisfying. I must admit your response to this fic has been amazing. All of the love you sent me for this story was beyond anything I expected. I thank all of you who stuck with the story and sent me such lovely comments. Interacting with all of you was more fun than writing this fic and I had a ton of fun writing this fic. The comments outnumber the kudos and that just tickles me. Thank you for your passion and commitment and your loyal following of this little universe I've been playing in.
> 
> The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.

If someone had asked Oliver when he was twenty if he was ever going to get married, he would've shrugged with resignation and said, "Yeah, probably." Until the moment Ivo had asked Oliver to choose between Sara and Shado, he'd honestly believed he was going to return to Starling City and marry Laurel. He hadn't realized it at the time, but the moment Shado had died something inside of him broke and all the dreams he'd created to help him cope after the Gambit sank revealed themselves to be what they truly were, lies. When he finally made it home to Starling, he allowed himself to ignore the lie and believe in the dream again. He pursued Laurel even though he knew Tommy was in love with her and that she was in love with Tommy. Oliver had been selfish and had clung to the lie so tightly it nearly cost him Tommy and Laurel died before he could ever ask for her forgiveness.

It wasn't lost on Oliver that he was exchanging wedding vows with the woman Sara was in love with. He seemed to be destined to bring misery to the Lance sisters. He knew that Sara had been in on the plan, but he still felt like he was betraying their friendship. As the priestess bound his arm to Nyssa's with a silk ribbon he couldn't help but think his whole life had been leading up to him becoming the next Ra's al Ghul. Oliver Queen had died when the Gambit sank and the man who had crawled onto the beach of Lian Yu had been reborn as a killer. Yao Fei, Edward Fryers, Billy Wintergreen, Slade Wilson, Charles Ivo, Amanda Waller, Maseo Yamashiro, General Shrieve, Baron Reiter, Conklin, and even Anatoly Knyazev had all helped to chip away at the lie and reveal who he was at his core - a cold-blooded murderer. He'd allowed Tommy, Felicity, Thea, Dig and Roy to convince him that he was worth being saved - that he could be more than a killer, that he could make a difference, but that had all been a lie too. Even from a distance, Ra's had recognized him for what he was - a bringer of death. Oliver Queen had been as much of a mask as the Arrow and Ra's had helped him uncover his true identity, Al Sah-Him.

A sharp slap across his face shocked Oliver. He was standing in his chambers with a very annoyed Nyssa staring at him. He had no memory of arriving in his rooms. The last thing he remembered was the priestess slicing his palm with a knife. He lifted his right hand and was slightly relieved to see that it was bandaged and he hadn't been hallucinating. "How did I get here?" he asked Nyssa. "Did we get married?"

Nyssa grimaced as she looked around the room, "How much did you drink today?" She gestured for him to sit on the bed, "I fear my father's conditioning has begun to take hold."

"Drink?" Oliver couldn't actually remember drinking anything - he couldn't even remember waking up that morning. "Nyssa," he dropped his aching head into his hands, "what's happening?"

Nyssa placed a cool cloth on the back of his neck, "I think my father has increased your dosage. He's brainwashing you, Oliver. You need to fight it."

He shook his head, "No, my name is Al Sah-Him."

"Damn," Nyssa muttered as she rose from the bed, "don't move. I'll be right back."

The sound of a door closing caused Oliver to lift his head, "Hello?" He was confused. He had no memory of going to his room. He rose from the bed and caught his reflection in the mirror. He was dressed in dark green raw silk with gold trim. He couldn't remember why he was wearing something so fancy. Oliver opened his wardrobe and removed the familiar black uniform. He started to unbutton his tunic and winced in pain. He unwrapped the bandage from his right hand and was surprised to find a fresh wound. His heart began to race and he felt dizzy. He staggered across the room and fell heavily onto the bed.

Someone calling his name woke Oliver from a restless sleep. He blinked his eyes to see Nyssa leaning over him. He scrambled up into a sitting position, "Nyssa, what are you doing here?" His eyes scanned the unfamiliar room, "Where am I?"

Nyssa held out a goblet, "Oliver, I need you to drink this."

"No, not until you tell me what's going on." Oliver closed his eyes as he tried to focus his thoughts on the last thing he remembered, "I don't remember how I got here."

"Oliver, you are in Nanda Parbat. Our lives are in danger." She pressed the cup into his hand and held his hand around the cup, "You must drink."

"How did I get to Nanda Parbat?" Confusion was beginning to give way to fear.

"Can you tell me your name?" Nyssa asked gently.

Nyssa's kind tone made him suspicious, "You know my name."

She rolled her eyes, "Humor me."

"Oliver Jonas Queen," he said feeling more than a little ridiculous.

"What's today's date?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but he didn't know the date. Oliver had a flash of running along the promenade with Tommy, "It's September 12th."

Nyssa shook her head, "No, it's the 14th of May." She moved the cup closer to his lips, "Drink, please."

"May? That's not possible." Oliver turned his head away from the cup, "Why do you want me to drink this so badly?"

"Felicity and Tommy's lives depend on it." She pushed the cup to his lips, "Drink, damn it."

Oliver took the cup and drained its bitter contents. "Where are Felicity and Tommy?" he asked with a growing sense of panic.

She refilled the glass and handed it back to him, "They are nearby and safe, for the moment, but if you don't start remembering, we're all in danger."

Oliver looked at the cup, "This is going to help me remember." It wasn't a question. The drink tasted familiar and he had a feeling that someone else had told him he needed to drink in order to remember. He drained the second cup.

Nyssa took the cup from him, "Lay down and rest. It will take a little while for this to work."

Oliver stretched out on the bed and watched Nyssa as she moved around the room. She was dressed in silk and her hair was styled elaborately and she was covered in jewels. There had to be a reason they were both dressed elegantly, "Why are you so dressed up?"

Nyssa sat back on the edge of the bed and placed a cool cloth across his forehead, "Today was my wedding day." She locked eyes with him, "It was our wedding day."

Oliver began to laugh, "You and I got married? Were Sara and Felicity your maids of honor? Was Tommy my best man?"

"I agree that the idea of our marriage is comical, but it doesn't make it less true." Nyssa rested her hand on Oliver's chest. "I am your wife and you are my husband."

"Enough games," Oliver removed the cloth from his head and sat up, "what are you playing at?"

Nyssa placed on a hand on his shoulder, "I promise you, this is no game."

A sharp pain right behind his eyes forced Oliver to double over, "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Sleep for just a little while. It will make sense when you wake," Nyssa helped Oliver to lay down.

She covered him with a blanket and Oliver closed his eyes. He promised himself he'd rest for fifteen minutes and then get the whole truth from Nyssa. He could feel himself drifting off when Nyssa gently squeezed his hand and whispered, "Please remember, we need you."

 

"Damn it," Dig held the nebulizer against Felicity's nose and mouth, "I knew we should've sedated you and left you at the tavern."

Felicity glared at Dig as she struggled to control her breathing. The altitude's thin air and the steep climb were wreaking havoc on her lungs. When her breathing had become labored, Tatsu had pulled them into one of the small caves that lined the climb to the secret entrance to Nanda Parbat. They were planning on using the catacombs beneath the stronghold to crash the wedding reception. The tunnels weren't well guarded and Tatsu's role as a healer gave her unfettered access to almost anywhere inside Nanda Parbat. Sara had obtained League uniforms for Felicity and Dig which they planned on wearing as they escorted Tatsu to the reception.

Dig turned to Tatsu who was standing at the mouth of the cave, "How much further?"

"Another twenty minutes to the catacombs and another thirty until we are inside the stronghold," Tatsu said without turning to face them.

Felicity groaned. She covered Dig's hand and removed the nebulizer from her face, "John, you need to leave me here."

His eyes widened in disbelief, "That is never going to happen."

"You have to," Felicity wheezed, "I won't make it another twenty minutes, let alone fifty. Even if I make it inside, I'll only slow you down and put the group at risk."

"That's fine, but that just means I'm not going either," Dig tried to put the mask back over her mouth.

She grabbed his wrist, "Oliver needs you."

"He's going to have Roy, Sara and Nyssa there to back him."

"But they're not you." Felicity put her hand against Dig's face, "Oliver will always pick you over everyone to have his back in a fight."

"Oliver will always pick you over himself. He would never forgive me if I left you here on your own."

"Well, he's not here and I am. I'll be fine. I'm out of the wind. I have a bag full of drugs and a book of sudoku. If I had wifi, this would be a perfect vacation spot." She smiled encouragingly, "You can come get me on your way out."

Dig put the mask back over her mouth and nose, "You sit there and breathe while I think."

Felicity leaned against the cave wall and closed her eyes. She breathed the warm moist air into her lungs and waited for her breathing to ease. She'd put everything at risk by thinking she was physically strong enough to make this hike. If Dig stayed behind and the planned failed because he wasn't there, she'd never forgive herself. Roy, Sara and Tommy were counting on Dig being there when the fighting started. When she opened her eyes Dig was looking at her with concern, "You have to go on without me. You know I'm right."

"A soldier never leaves anyone behind," Dig stroked her head.

"I'm not the one trapped behind enemy lines, Oliver is." Felicity squeezed his hand, "Go, save your brother."

Dig unzipped his jacket and removed a glock and three clips. He placed the clips by her side and held the gun in front of her. "You're a pretty good shot when you remember to keep your eyes open. Anyone comes into this cave that isn't me or Oliver, you shoot." He put the gun down by the clips. "Don't try for flesh wounds. You aim for the chest," he poked his finger against her breastbone, "it's the biggest target and it will put them down. It's you or them."

She lowered the mask, "Thank you, John."

Dig examined the contents of her knapsack, "Do you want me to give you your injections before I go?"

"It's too soon for another dose." Noticing the hesitation on his face she quickly continued, "The nebulizer is really helping. I'm okay, I promise."

Dig zipped up his jacket, "If we're not back by dawn, follow the trail back down to the tavern. Use the satellite phone to call Lyla and she'll send in the extraction team that's on standby for you. If you're lucky she'll send Deadshot," he teased.

"As long as it isn't Cupid." Felicity became serious, "You'll be back. You and Oliver always come for me. It's your sacred pact, remember?"

"Right," he kissed the top of her head. He stood up as tall as he could in the space, "Keep your head down. I'll be back with Oliver, Tommy and Roy before you have a chance to miss me."

She smiled bravely. She gripped Dig's hand tightly and acknowledged Tatsu with a nod of her head, "Be safe, both of you."

Felicity waited for Dig and Tatsu to leave the cave before she allowed her first tear to fall.

 

Two assassins dragged their prisoner up the steep rocky terrain. A third assassin brought up the rear of their small procession with an arrow pointed at the prisoner's back. Their progress was slow, but steady, as they neared reaching the final summit of their journey.

"Holy shit," Roy exclaimed as they crested the final peak and Nanda Parbat was spread out before them, "it's huge. Is it always lit up like this?"

Sara stood with her hands on her hip as she surveyed the city below them, "No, the torches are for the wedding reception. Traditionally, there will be tests of strength and skill. The groom is expected to impress his bride by defeating other men in hand to hand combat and sword fighting."

Roy snorted, "I doubt Nyssa will be all that impressed by a display of testosterone."

Sara laughed, "Ollie better hope she doesn't break with tradition and challenge him to a sword fight. She'll kick his ass."

Tommy was only partially listening to the conversation between Sara and Roy. This was the first time he was seeing Nanda Parbat from the outside and he was feeling a little overwhelmed. The League's stronghold was carved into the mountain, much like Petra in Jordan but on a much larger scale. It was a fortress and he was about to march through the front door with a plan that nine of them could take on Ra's and the entire League of Assassins and get out alive. There appeared to be an entire army of fighters standing between them and the front door.

"It's not too late to turnaround and save yourself," Malcolm said for Tommy's ears only. "This plan is only going to succeed in getting you and your friends killed."

"Come on Al Sa-Her," Sara said sarcastically as she tugged on Malcolm's arm, "save your charm for Ra's."

"I'm not the one who has anything to fear from Ra's. He's forgiven my blood debt," Malcolm smirked.

"Yes, but Al Sah-Him might not feel so forgiving." Sara smiled sweetly, "I think his new bride might enjoy receiving your head on a pike as a gift from her new husband."

Malcolm laughed, "My sources tell me that there is a kill on sight order for you, Ms. Lance. What makes you think that I won't out your identity as soon as we're inside?"

Roy stepped right behind Malcolm and pressed a flechette against his lower back, "The fact that you will bleed out in less than sixty seconds when I sink this into your kidney."

Malcolm looked over his shoulder, "Do you honestly think Thea will forgive you if you kill her father?"

"You're not her father," Roy hissed, "and she will always choose her brothers over you."

"Enough," Tommy said walking past Sara, "we don't have time for this."

"We're really just going to walk through all of those assassins?" Roy asked skeptically.

Sara pulled her black hood up over her blond hair and attached the veil that hid all but her eyes, "Why not? We're just three more assassins joining the celebration."

Tommy and Roy lifted their cowls and hid their lower faces. Tommy took hold of his dad's arm and their small group began their descent towards the torches of Nanda Parbat and their inevitable confrontation with Ra's and the League.

 

Oliver woke up to the now familiar view of the red canopy of his bed in Nanda Parbat. "Nyssa," he gasped as he bolted upright.

She rose from the sofa in front of the fire burning in his hearth, "You're awake."

"How long was I out for?" he asked as he climbed from the bed.

"Two hours," she poured him a glass of water.

"Won't everyone be wondering where we are?" Oliver's throat was dry and he greedily drank the water she offered.

She arched a brow, "I think they will believe you to be a very ardent groom."

Oliver rubbed his eyes, "Right, we're honeymooners."

"As long as we are back in time for the start of the celebration, no one will question our absence now." Nyssa took hold of his arm, "Are you all right?"

"If you're asking if I remember the last eight months and that I'm Oliver Queen, then, yes, I'm all right." Oliver led her to the sofa and sat down, "Are you going to tell me why we had to get married?"

Nyssa joined Oliver on the sofa, "It was Felicity's idea."

Oliver smiled tightly, "Of course it was."

"If we didn't get married, you would've been required to kill me."

"Because you'd be a rival as heir?"

"Yes, but that isn't the only reason for our marriage." Nyssa lowered her voice, "Now that you are Warith al Ghul, when my father dies, you will become Ra's al Ghul. As my husband, you can choose to name me Ra's and I can release you from the League."

"I know your father thinks he's dying, but I see no evidence that his end is imminent."

"You're correct. If nature is allowed to take its course, my father will live for at least another five years."

"But we're not going to let nature take its course?"

"This isn't just about me becoming Ra's. The Lazarus Pit has made him go mad. He plans on killing half of the human population in a misguided an attempt to save the planet from the ills of industrialization."

Oliver suddenly remembered Tommy and Felicity telling him of the one and only conversation they'd had with Ra's and his contempt for the modern world. They'd warned him that Ra's seemed mad, but he never expected genocide. "How does he plan on killing three and a half billion people?"

"Several years ago he acquired a virus from a new recruit. It's called the Alpha and Omega virus."

"No," Oliver rose from the sofa, "that's impossible. I destroyed all of it back in Hong Kong." Oliver's eyes drifted towards his door and the mark where his knife had embedded in the wall, "Maseo."

"Yes, Sarab. When he joined the League he had a vial of the virus with him and he offered it to my father in exchange for membership in the League. A year ago, my father confided in Sarab his plans for global genocide. Sarab came to me and told me of my father's plans. I couldn't allow my father to continue with his madness, so when I found where he was hiding the virus, I stole it. Sara and I went into hiding."

"Which is why your father went looking for a new heir."

"Yes, I betrayed him."

"How are you alive? If you took the virus, why would he permit you to marry me?"

"Because I returned the virus to him."

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "I don't believe that you would sacrifice billions to save your own life."

"You're correct. Sara and I went to you for help, but my father had selected you for his heir and you were already gone from Starling. Felicity took the virus to her friends at STAR Labs and they destroyed the virus. As a precaution, they gave me a harmless compound that will mimic the early symptoms of the virus. That is what I gave to my father. We must kill my father before he decides to enact his plans. When he realizes the virus is a fake, he will kill me and then he will just find a different method to kill all those people."

Oliver dreaded his next question, "What's the plan?"

Nyssa smoothed the skirt of her wedding gown, "Sara, Tommy and Roy are escorting Malcolm in as a prisoner and a wedding gift for us. Tatsu is escorting Felicity and Dig inside through the catacombs. We are going to attack and kill my father."

Oliver loved his friends and family for wanting to fight for him, but what Nyssa was describing wasn't a rescue it was a group suicide. "If I include Maseo, that's seven fighters against five thousand assassins. We can't beat those odds. I won't let all of you sacrifice yourselves for me. You have to call it off."

"Husband," Nyssa raised a challenging brow, "we can call off this plan and wait for my father to die of natural causes, but that would mean that you and I will remain married. I know I can convince Sara it is for the greater good, but can you say the same for Felicity?"

Oliver was momentarily speechless. There was no way Felicity, or Tommy for that matter, would ever willingly walk away and leave him to his fate until Ra's died. Facing five thousand assassins was preferable to facing Felicity's wrath. "Fine," he grumbled.

"Excellent," Nyssa smirked, "shall we join our wedding celebration?"

Oliver took Nyssa's hand and placed it on the crook of his elbow. As he escorted her back to the celebration he hoped they weren't making a huge mistake.

 

Despite the freezing temperatures, Tommy could feel the sweat dripping down his back. Sara had been right, the sea of assassins they were walking through weren't giving them a second look. He still couldn't help feeling like he was swimming through shark infested waters with a paper cut. If one of the assassins got a sniff that something wasn't right, there would be a feeding frenzy that Sara and Roy wouldn't be able to defend against for long.

On either side of the torch lit path were fighting pits where League members were fighting one another. The sounds of the assassins cheering on their comrades echoed across the stronghold. Alcohol was flowing freely and Tommy witnessed more than one assassin stumble and then pass out on the ground. Oliver and Nyssa's wedding might actually prove to be the perfect distraction to stage a coup and a rescue.

Once they were inside the stronghold the number of assassins in the hallways greatly diminished. It seemed like everyone had made their way outside to watch the spectacle. Sara navigated them through a maze of corridors until she arrived at a nondescript door. The door opened as soon as she knocked and the four of them were ushered inside.

"Sarab," Malcolm sneered, "I'm not surprised to learn that you're a traitor to your master. I warned him long ago that you were not to be trusted."

Maseo remained unflustered by Malcolm's words, "Al Sah-Her, it appears that neither of us were to be trusted, but I will not be complicit in the murder of billions."

"Dad's not so much complicit with murdering innocent people as he is explicit in murdering innocent people," Tommy shoved his father into a chair.

"How are we on time?" Sara asked.

"The others are late, but only by a few minutes. Oliver and Nyssa are at the main celebration but should leave for the contests shortly. Everything else is in place and has been set in motion." Maseo's head turned at a soft knocking at his door.

At Maseo's nod, Sara opened the door and Tatsu and Dig slipped into the room.

"Where's Felicity?" Tommy's stomach fell as he watched a look of guilt form on Dig's face.

"Her health prevented her from continuing," Tatsu said dispassionately.

"Dig?" Tommy asked in a near panic.

Dig approached Tommy cautiously, "She was having trouble breathing and wasn't going to be able to make the last hour of the trip. She's hidden in a cave along the trail."

"You left her on the side of the road having trouble breathing," Tommy accused with disbelief. "John, how could you leave her?"

"She told me to. She wanted me here to help Oliver," Dig said apologetically.

The look on Dig's face told Tommy everything he needed to know. Dig considered himself Felicity's protector and would never have made the decision to leave Felicity behind lightly. He could only imagine the fight Felicity would've put up if she thought she would endanger their mission. He also knew that for her to take herself out of the game, she had to be in pretty bad shape. Tommy looked Dig in the eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. There was nothing he could say to their friend that he wasn't already beating himself up for.

Malcolm began to laugh, "It's already falling apart - your silly little plan. You're all going to die here and your precious Felicity is going to freeze to death on the side of this mountain - if she isn't already dead and your friend here is lying to you."

Tommy was tempted to shoot his dad with another tranq dart but they needed him conscious. He clenched his fists with an uncontrollable desire to punch his father in the face.

Sara stepped right up to him and covered a fist with her hand. She smiled sweetly and spoke softly, "Go ahead and punch him. A black eye or a split lip will make his capture seem more believable."

Tommy smiled at the sincerity of Sara's statement and felt his anger loosen its hold on him. His hands relaxed at his side, "Thanks, but I'm good."

Sara tilted her head, "Suit yourself." She spun around quickly and punched Malcolm squarely on the jaw, splitting his bottom lip, "That's enough talking for you. Say another word and I'll cut out your tongue."

Sara happily winked at Tommy and he was transported back in time and remembered a tomboy in pigtails and overalls chasing him in the gardens of the Queen mansion. It seemed like a lifetime ago and only yesterday. He didn't know when Laurel's little sister had become his protector but it filled him with shame. Everyone standing in that room was there to contain Malcolm and rescue Oliver except him. All Tommy had been needed for was to locate Malcolm so they had a distraction. His decision to come was probably as reckless as Felicity's, but she'd at least been smart enough to take herself out of the equation before she stepped into Nanda Parbat.

Maseo interrupted Tommy's train of thought, "You should head out. We'll be ten minutes behind you."

Dig, Roy and Tommy followed Tatsu out of Maseo's chambers towards the celebration. There was no going back now.

 

Tatsu left Dig, Roy and Tommy at a long wooden table with strict instructions to appear drunk but not to drink the wine under any circumstances. She'd disappeared into the crowd, a splash of green silk swallowed by a sea of black.

"Is it smart for us to be sitting with our faces uncovered?" Roy asked as his eyes scanned the crowd watching a sword fight.

"Kind of hard to pretend you're drinking with your mouth covered," Tommy slurred into his empty cup.

"There are at least five thousand people here - no one can know every face. We're as anonymous with our faces uncovered as they are covered," Dig was slumped over the table in a convincing display of someone who'd had too much to drink.

"There," Roy pointed with his chin, "it's Oliver and Nyssa."

Tommy looked at the raised dais and his heart swelled at the sight of Oliver. The past six weeks had been worth everything to see him again, even if it was from afar. "Ra's is with him."

"The guy in the vampire cape?" Roy didn't look like he thought Ra's was much of a threat.

"Let's get closer." Dig stood up, "Maseo will be out with Malcolm soon."

 

Oliver watched as Ra's moved to the front of the dais and raised his arms. The multitudes under his control instantly fell silent and everyone in the fighting pits went still. His eyes searched the crowd for signs of his friends, but they remained out of sight. It brought him comfort to know that they were out there even if he felt guilty that they were taking such risks for him.

Ra's began to speak in Arabic and Oliver was unable to make out more than a few words. He was able to pick out daughter, marriage, heir, father and destiny from a fairly lengthy speech. It was probably best that he couldn't understand what was being said because it made it a lot easier for him to keep a blank expression on his face.

Nyssa tugged on the sleeve of his tunic, "Husband."

Standing in front of them were the priestess and Tatsu. The priestess chanted something that Oliver didn't follow at all. Tatsu then handed Nyssa a wrapped bundle and the priestess started chanting again. "What's happening?" He asked through closed lips.

"It is a prayer to the fertility goddess that your seed will be strong and my womb will be fertile," Nyssa said neutrally.

Oliver wasn't sure what the proper response was for learning that someone was praying about your sperm, "Fantastic."

The priestess brought forward a goblet and held it out to him. He took the goblet from the woman and brought it to his lips and pretended to take a drink. He held it back out to her, but she pushed the goblet towards him, "You must drink all of it."

The last thing he wanted to do was to drink anything from Ra's priestess. For all he knew she was the one administering all the brainwashing drugs. He caught Tatsu's eye and she winked at him. When he brought the cup to his lips she nodded her encouragement. The familiar bitter taste of the brew Maseo and Nyssa had been giving him burst across his tongue and he drained the goblet. The priestess refilled the goblet and handed it to Nyssa who drank without hesitation. The priestess chanted again and looked expectantly at Oliver.

Nyssa turned to him, "You're too kiss me now, husband." Oliver took Nyssa into his arms and she whispered, "Make it look real."

Oliver decided when all of this was over he was going to have words with Felicity about her thinly veiled reprisal for his proposal disguised as a rescue. He closed his eyes and kissed Nyssa in what he thought was a believable way. When he opened his eyes they locked with Tommy in the crowd surrounding the stage. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a wry expression on his face. It was all Oliver could do not to laugh as he bit his lip to prevent a smile from showing. He instantly became serious when Nyssa gave him a disapproving look. A cheer went up in the crowd and the stronghold attendants began distributing bottles of wine to everyone in the crowd. The kiss must've been the signal that the festivities were to resume.

He watched as Tatsu slipped from the dais and disappeared into the crowd. He could see Tommy, Dig and Roy standing nearby, but he'd yet to spot Sara or Felicity. His attention was redirected to Nyssa as she began to unbutton his tunic. In what was becoming the common refrain for his marriage, "What are you doing?"

"I am removing your shirt for the ritual combat," Nyssa explained as her nimble fingers undid the delicate silk covered buttons. "Do not worry, Maseo will be here soon."

As if on cue, Maseo appeared on the edge of the dais with his hand securely wrapped around Malcolm's bicep. Malcolm had a black eye and a split lip and looked very grumpy. "My lord, Al Sah-Her was discovered sneaking in through the catacombs."

Ra's stepped forward and Maseo pushed Malcolm, knocking him to his knees. Ra's removed his sword from his scabbard, "Why do you return Al Sah-Her? Your blood debt was forgiven. Do you wish death this badly?"

"My quarrel is not with you, it's with him," Malcolm pointed at Oliver. "I challenge you, Warith al Ghul. Do you accept?"

"Yes," Oliver said against his better judgment.

Malcolm began to unbutton his tunic and two of Ra's minion rolled out a cabinet containing swords.

Oliver turned to Nyssa as he unbuttoned his shirt. "This is the plan?" he hissed. "How does fighting Malcolm help any of us?"

"Patience, my husband. All will be revealed," Nyssa's eyes scanned the crowd.

"Stop saying that," Oliver huffed his annoyance as he she helped slide his shirt from his shoulders.

"Why would I do that, husband," she grinned at him, "when it irritates you so much?"

"I really shouldn't get this much grief from a fake wife," Oliver said as he followed her to the sword cabinet.

"I assure you, our marriage is very much real." She stopped his hand when he reached for a sword, "No, take these. Your reach will be longer."

"I thought this was a fake fight," Oliver tested the weight of the blades.

"Al Sah-Her isn't your true opponent, my father is," Nyssa said solemnly. She clasped his hand tightly, "Good luck."

 

Tommy's attention was split between watching Oliver's preparation for combat and the assassins surrounding him stumbling and passing out. Maseo and Tatsu's plan to drug the wine was proving effective. He knew that drunk and drugged assassins were still lethal, but it improved their odds of success. Their plan was dependent on only having to take on the honor guard that was protecting Ra's on the dais.

Sara came up next to him with Tatsu, dressed in League garb, by her side, "Time to move."

 

Malcolm moved first and swung his blade at Oliver's chest. Oliver leaned back and deflected the blow. He used his momentum to pivot and put Malcolm on the defensive. Having fought Malcolm several times he knew that Malcolm was holding back. His blows didn't have the full force of his weight behind them but they were convincing enough. Oliver heard the canary whistle Sara used in the field to signal she was in position. Malcolm drove Oliver closer to Ra's al Ghul's position. Sara whistled again and the dais came alive. Nyssa and Malcolm both swung their blades at Ra's as Maseo, Tatsu, Sara, Roy and Dig held back the honor guard. Oliver joined Malcolm and Nyssa as they surrounded Ra's and attacked.

Malcolm's assault was brutal as he threw his desire and ambition to be Ra's in every swing of his sword. Nyssa's attack was elegant and lethal, but her rage towards her father was preventing her from seeing the next move and she was only able to react. Oliver was able to clear his mind. His anger disappeared and he fought with only one goal - to go home.

Ra's spun and disarmed Malcolm with such force that the Magician was sent flying across the dais. His crumbled body was limp and unmoving. Oliver and Nyssa reset their positions and continued their assault.

 

Tommy watched the fight from the edge of the dais. The honor guard was putting up a strong fight against his friends but they were unable to break through their line. Only a few of the assassins in the crowd took any notice of what was happening on the dais. Most were so drunk he was able to knock them out with one punch. He'd just knocked out an assassin when he caught an assassin rushing the dais from the corner of his eye. His cry of warning went unheard and he watched helplessly as the assassin came up behind Tatsu. Out of nowhere, Maseo had stepped between his wife and the assassin's sword. Maseo killed his attacker before he dropped to the ground. Tommy ran across the dais and pulled Maseo out of the fray. The man was still alive, but Tommy suspected his wound was fatal. Tommy removed his own jacket, pulled off his tunic and balled it against Maseo's wound. "Hold on, Maseo," he pleaded.

 

Ra's showed no concern as he effortlessly moved from one form to the next. "You chose to make an alliance with your enemy. I didn't think you this foolish, boy. I offered you the world. I offered you a mission and a purpose."

"I have a mission," Oliver screamed as his blade crashed against the Demon's blade.

"You are Al Sah-Him, Warith al Ghul," Ra's declared as his blade pierced Nyssa and she sank to the ground, "and you will obey."

Oliver threw his elbow and caught Ra's in the throat, dropping him to his knees. "I am Oliver Queen," his sword sliced through Ra's side, "and you are not my father." Oliver drove his blade through Ra's chest.

Ra's gasped and blood sprayed onto Oliver's chest. He looked up at Oliver and smiled, his lips wet with blood, "I knew I chose well with you, boy. You will honor my legacy." Ra's slipped the Demon's Head ring from his finger and pressed it into Oliver's hand, "You are now Ra's al Ghul." The light left Ra's eyes and he toppled to the ground.

"Nyssa," Oliver dropped to her side and pulled her hands from her chest to examine the wound. "You can't die," he told her, "you are meant to be Ra's not me." He lifted her into his arms, "Don't you dare die on me, Nyssa." Her eyes began to close, "No, keep your eyes open. Look at me," he ordered as he ran towards the stronghold. "Do you hear me?"

She rested her head against his chest, "Yes, husband."

 

When Tommy looked up again, Ra's was dead, his father was still unconscious and Oliver and Nyssa were gone. The honor guard had been subdued and his friends all appeared to be alive. "Tatsu," Tommy called out.

"Maseo," Tatsu's cried out when she saw her fallen husband. She ran to her husband's side and took his hand.

Tommy continued to keep pressure on the wound as the husband and wife spoke softly to one another in Japanese. Dig placed a hand on his shoulder, "I've got this."

Tommy moved away from Maseo and hoped that Dig would be able to help. He turned to Roy, "Where's Sara?"

"Nyssa was injured and Oliver brought her inside. Sara followed after them."

Tommy looked back towards the dais and his blood ran cold. His father was no longer there. He took off in a run, ignoring Roy and Dig as they called his name.

 

Oliver ran into Ra's chamber and carried Nyssa to the Lazurus Pit. She was unconscious, but she still had a pulse as he lowered her into the water, holding her chin above the surface with his hands. "Come on, come on," he mumbled.

"Ollie," Sara ran into the chamber.

Sara dropped onto her belly next to him on the side of the pool and placed her hand on her lover's head, "Nyssa, wake up."

Nyssa's eyes flew open and she gasped for breath. Oliver hauled her out of the pool and gently lowered her to the ground in front of the pool. Nyssa was shivering and holding his hands so tightly she was cutting off his circulation.

"Get some blankets," Oliver instructed Sara. He heard her run from the chamber.

"Did we win, husband?" Nyssa asked through chattering teeth.

"Your father is dead," he informed her, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," she touched his face. "My only regret is that I did not kill him myself."

 

Tommy ran through the stronghold following a trail of blood that he hoped would lead him to Oliver. He prayed that his father had used the chaos to slip away and retreat, but in his heart he knew that his father wanted to be Ra's al Ghul. If he wanted that title, now he'd have to kill Oliver.

The trail of blood led him to Ra's chamber and he saw Oliver kneeling on the ground over Nyssa. He was about to sigh with relief when he saw his father slip from the shadows across the room. Malcolm's bow was drawn and aimed right at Oliver. Tommy saw a flash from the far corner of the room and a small familiar blonde collided with Malcolm, sending them both sliding across the room.

"Felicity," Tommy and Oliver cried out together.

Malcolm's bow flew from his hands and sailed past Oliver. The bag on Felicity's shoulder slid to a stop in front of Tommy's feet revealing a glock. He picked up the gun, removed the safety and started walking towards his father.

Felicity was flat on her back with Malcolm standing over her with a knife in his hands. He pulled Felicity to her feet and placed the knife to her throat.

"Get away from her," Tommy shouted.

Malcolm ignored Tommy. "Give me the ring," he demanded of Oliver.

Oliver approached Malcolm slowly with his hands up, Ra's ring clear on his finger, "Let her go and you can have the ring."

"That's close enough. Drop the ring and slide it over to me," Malcolm instructed.

"Drop the knife," Tommy instructed leveling the gun at his father's back.

"You don't have the guts," Malcolm taunted Tommy as he spun around to face his son.

"You're threatening the woman I love. I won't ask again. Drop - the - knife," Tommy looked at Felicity and she smiled bravely.

"No one needs to get hurt. Oliver just needs to give me the ring," Malcolm said calmly.

"A monster like you should never have that kind of power," Tommy stalled as Oliver moved towards Malcolm's fallen bow.

"Now, Felicity," Oliver shouted.

Felicity brought her foot down sharply on Malcolm's instep which loosened his grip on her neck. She threw her elbow into his stomach and launched herself out of the line of fire. Tommy squeezed the trigger and the shot echoed throughout the room. He was aiming for his dad's chest but it hit his shoulder instead. His father howled in pain and threw the knife he held at Tommy.

Tommy felt two Arrow's fly past him. The first arrow deflected his dad's knife, the second pierced his dad's other shoulder. Oliver's arm came over Tommy's shoulder and tried to lower his arm with the gun towards the floor.

"It's over," Oliver said softly into Tommy's ear. Oliver's arm wrapped around Tommy's chest and his head dropped to his shoulder.

"I was aiming to kill him," Tommy confessed, the gun still pointing at his dad.

"It's all right," Oliver said soothingly against his neck, "we're safe now. You can lower the gun."

The instant Tommy dropped the gun to the floor Felicity was in their arms. The three clung to one another and whispered words of love and reassurance until the sounds of approaching feet separated them.

 

The chamber was completely full with assassins lined up in neat rows. Oliver stood in front of the Pit, dressed for the final time in League clothing. Dig, Roy, Tommy and Felicity stood in the back of the chamber looking exhausted and ready to go home. Malcolm was recovering from his injuries in one of the dungeons where he was going to stay until Sara remembered to release him. Tatsu had disappeared with Maseo's body. Nyssa stood by his side with her head held high. There was no sign of her earlier trauma. Oliver moved and stood before her. "Wife, I name you Ra's al Ghul," he removed the Demon's head from his finger and slid it onto hers.

"Thank you, husband," Nyssa stepped forward in order to be seen by her army of assassins.

As one, the assassins knelt speaking one word, "Ra's."

Oliver bowed his head in an appropriate show of deference.

"Go home, Oliver. I release you," Nyssa swept past him and out of the chamber with Sara at her side.

 

Felicity moaned as she fell face first onto their bed. It had been thirty-six hours since they'd left Nanda Parbat and she was ready to sleep for a month.

A pair of strong arms slipped beneath her and hauled her to her feet. "No, you don't," Oliver said as he held her against her chest. "You made me promise that I wouldn't let you sleep until you took a shower and brushed your teeth."

She waved her hand in front of her, "I release you from your promise."

"Nice try," Oliver kissed her cheek, "but only my wife gets to release me."

Tommy began to laugh as Felicity turned in Oliver's arms, "Really, you're going with a wife joke?"

"You had your chance," Oliver teased.

"Are you still married," Tommy attempted to ask with a straight face, "or do you think it was annulled at the same time she released you from the League?"

Felicity pulled her shirt over her head, "And to think I was going to ask both of you to take a shower with me."

"Hey, I'm not the one who married Nyssa," Tommy pouted.

Felicity poked Tommy in chest, "No, but you are way too amused by it."

Tommy kicked off his shoes, "At least you didn't have to watch them kiss."

"What?" Felicity asked with more outrage than she knew she should be feeling. "You kissed Nyssa?"

Oliver shot Tommy a look, "Thanks for that." Oliver followed Felicity into the bathroom, "Marrying Nyssa was your idea."

"Well," Felicity huffed, "it isn't very nice of you to bring that fact up."

Tommy moved past his lovers and turned the shower on, "Do we need to make a list of all the things we're angry about so we can agree to forgive one another before we go to bed? I'd rather wake up tomorrow and pretend like the last five months never happened."

"Like you running off by yourself to confront your father and abduct him?" Oliver asked.

Tommy narrowed his eyes, "That would be a good example."

"What were you thinking?" Oliver turned on Felicity, "How could you go to Nanda Parbat in your condition?"

Oliver and Tommy stared at Felicity. "Oh," she said with surprise, "those weren't rhetorical?"

Oliver gently slapped her butt, "Get in the shower."

Thirty minutes later Felicity was laying between Oliver and Tommy. Tommy was spooning her from behind as they both faced Oliver, their fingers laced with his. There were days when she never thought she'd feel this safe and happy again.

Oliver smiled at his lovers and traced their faces with his finger. "Thank you," a warm smile spread across his face.

"For what?" Tommy asked through a yawn.

"For coming for me," Oliver leaned forward and kissed Felicity and then Tommy.

"Always," Tommy kissed Oliver back.

"I'd prefer there not to be a next time, but if there is, can you pick someplace sunny and seventy?" Felicity fought her heavy eyelids, "I'm just saying that Lian Yu and Nanda Parbat are not places you should make a girl rescue you from if you're trying to impress her."

"I'll keep that in mind," Oliver promised.

Sleep was just pulling Felicity under when she remembered something important, "Oh, Oliver." He opened his sleepy eyes and looked at her. She kissed their joined hands, "Happy birthday."

He smiled and squeezed the hands of Felicity and Tommy tighter, "The happiest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! All comments and kudos are welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> Don't fret, this fic might be finished but the series is not. I will be back on Saturday with another installment - Life Lived In The Tabloids.
> 
> Please feel free to share what else you'd like to read about in this universe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated.
> 
> I hope you're not all regretting your request for a multi-chapter fic within this series. The second chapter will be up on Saturday.


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